ANTIMONY, in mineralogy, one of the metals that is brittle and easily fused. No metal has attracted so much of the atten tion of physicians as antimony. One par ty has extolled it as an infallible specific for every disease : while another decried it as a most virulent poison, which ought to be expunged from the list of medicines. Antimony, as it occurs under that name in the shops, is a natural compound of the metal with sulphur. To obtain it in a metallic state, the native sulphuret is to be mixed with two-thirds its weight of acidulous tartrite of potash, (in the state of crude tartar,) and one-third of nitrate of potash deprived of its water of crystal lization. The mixture must be projected, by spoonfuls, into a red-hot crucible ; and the detonated mass poured into an iron mould greased with a little fat. The anti mony, on account of its specific gravity, will be found at the bottom, adhering to the scoriae, from which itmay be separated by the hammer. Or three parts of the sulphuret may be fused in a covered cru cible, with one of iron filings. The sul phur quits the antimony, and combines with the iron. Antimony in its metallic state .(sometimes called regulus of anti mony) is of a silvery white colour, very brittle, and of a plated or scaly texture. It is fused by a moderate heat ; and crys tallizes, on cooling, in the form of pyra mids. In close vessels it may be vola tilized, and collected unchanged. It un dergoes little change when exposed to the atmosphere at its ordinary temperature ; but when fused, with the access of air, it emits white fumes, consisting of an oxide of the metal. This oxide had for merly the name of flowers of antimony.
Antimony combines with phosphorus and sulphur. With the latter, an artificial sulphuret is formed, exactly resembling the native compound, which last may be employed, on account of its cheapness, for exhibiting the properties of this com bination of antimony. Antimony is dis solved by most of the acids. Sulphuric acid is decomposed, sulphurous acid be ing disengaged, and an oxide formed, of which a small proportion only is dis solved by the remaining acid. Nitric acid dissolves this metal with great vehe mence; muriatic acid acts on it by long digestion ; but the most convenient sol vent is the nitro-muriatic acid, which, with the aid of heat, dissolves it from the native sulphuret. With oxygenized muriatic acid, it forms a compound of a thick consistence, formerly called butter of antimony. This may be formed by exposing black sulphuret of antimony to the fumes of oxygenized muriatic acid, and subsequent distillation ; or by distill ing the powdered regulus with twice its weight of corrosive muriate of mercury. The metal becomes highly oxydized, and unites with muriatic acid in its simple state. On pouring this compound into water, a white oxide falls down, called powder of algaroth. Antimony is sus ceptible of various states of oxydizement. The first oxide may be obtained by wash ing algaroth powder with a little caustic potash. It is composed of 183 oxygen, and 813 metal. That formed by the ac tion of nitric acid on antimony contains 77 metal, and 23 oxygen. See ORES, analysisq: