Antimonids

• Aluminum antimonide AlSb - dark gray crystals with a bluish tint with a metallic luster, a cubic lattice (a = 0.61355 nm); promising material for solar panels and electronic devices operating at temperatures up to 500 ° C.
• Zn antimonide ZnSb - a gray crystal with a metallic luster, a rhombic lattice (a = 0.6128 nm, b = 0.7741 nm, c = 0.8115 nm); material for thermoelectric devices.
• Cesium antimonide Cs ₂ Sb - black crystals with metallic luster, cubic lattice (а = 0.9180 nm); used for the manufacture of photoemitters with a high quantum yield.
• Antimonides Cd and Mg , as well as ternary compounds of the ZnSnSb ₂ type, are promising semiconductor materials .
• Th ₃ Sb ₄ can be used as a high-temperature thermoelectric material.
• NiSb as well as others.
• It is proposed to use antimonides with metallic conductivity ( CrSb , CoSb ) as components of eutectic compositions with InSb and GaSb for magnetoresistance, IR radiation detectors , etc.

The main danger when working with antimonids is H ₃ Sb , which is released by the action of water or acids on antimonids.

Most of the transition element antimonides are metal-like, some MSb ₂ and especially MSb ₃ compounds are semiconductors, and the band gap increases with an increase in the atomic mass of the metal within the group. Some antimonides become superconductors at low temperatures, the highest transition temperatures for Nb ₅ Sb ₄ are (8.60 K), Ti ₃ Sb - (5.80 K). Some antimonides are antiferromagnets with relatively high Néel points :

• 723 K for CrSb ,
• 213 K for USb .

Others, for example, MnSb , MnSb _2, are ferromagnets characterized by anisotropy of magnetic properties and a change in direction of the highest magnetic susceptibility. A number of double antimonides are known, for example: LiCdSb , K ₂ CuSb ₂ , BaZn ₂ Sb ₂ , TiSnSb , ZnSnSb ₂ , NbSnSb H ₃ Si ₃ Sb ₅ . By properties, antimonochalcogenides MSb X are close to antimonides, where X = S , Se , Te . These compounds are metal-like or semiconductors; at low temperatures, some of them become superconductors .

Chemical Properties

Antimonides of alkali and to a slightly lesser extent alkaline earth metals are chemically very active, easily oxidized, hydrolyzed by water with the release of H ₃ Sb . Antimonides Mg and Al are less active, but easily decomposed by dilute acids. All other antimonids interact only with concentrated acids or aqua regia . With an increase in the content of Sb in antimonides, their chemical stability increases. Some antimonides, in particular those formed by alkali metals, dissolve in salt melts, for example, in mixtures of LiCl and LiF or NaCl and NaI .

Obtaining Antimonids

Antimonides are synthesized mainly by fusion of components in a vacuum or in an inert atmosphere , sometimes under a flux layer (for example, from NaCl , KCl , CaCl ₂ , BaCl ₂ ). Small crystals and films are obtained from the gas phase - by sublimation of the components or by chemical transport reactions. Single crystals are grown by directed crystallization, melt drawing, and horizontal zone melting. Epitaxial films are obtained by vacuum deposition, deposition from the liquid and gas phases. Some antimonides (for example, SnSb , Cu ₂ Sb ) are formed in alloys ( babbitts , antimony bronzes , etc.).

Being in nature

About 15 relatively rare antimonide minerals are known, for example:

• diskrazit Ag ₃ Sb ;
• Breitgauptite NiSb ^[1] ;
• ulmanite NiSbS .

1. ↑ Breitgauptit // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.