A History Of Antimony

Posted on by Brian Colwell

Antimony, a lustrous gray metalloid bearing the chemical symbol Sb and atomic number 51, stands as one of humanity’s most enduring chemical companions.

From the kohl-lined eyes of ancient Egyptian royalty to the circuit boards of modern electronics, this enigmatic element has woven itself through millennia of human civilization. Its dual nature—both beneficial and toxic, industrial and ornamental—has made antimony a subject of fascination for alchemists, physicians, metallurgists, and scientists throughout history.

This remarkable element, whose name derives from the Greek words meaning “not alone,” has indeed never stood alone in human history, finding applications in cosmetics, medicine, metallurgy, and warfare across cultures and centuries.

Be sure to check out all other critical raw materials (CRMs), as well.

A History Of Antimony

The story of antimony spans over five millennia, from ancient cosmetics to modern semiconductors. This brittle, silvery-white metalloid has played crucial roles in human civilization, serving variously as makeup, medicine, metal alloy, and military material. Its journey through history reflects humanity’s evolving understanding of chemistry and metallurgy, marked by both beneficial innovations and cautionary tales of toxicity.

Chronology

  • 4000 BCE – Fragments of a Chaldean vase made of antimony estimated to date from this period [1]
  • 3100 BCE – Antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) discovered in predynastic Egypt and used in cosmetics, particularly as eye makeup [2, 3]
  • 3000 BCE – An antimony-laden artifact discovered in Telloh, Chaldea (modern Iraq) [2, 4, 5]
  • 2500-2200 BCE – An antimony-plated copper object discovered in Egypt dating to this period [2, 5]
  • 1600 BCE – Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) mentioned in an Egyptian papyrus [6, 7]
  • 604-561 BCE – Yellow lead antimonite used in glaze of ornamental bricks at Babylon during time of Nebuchadnezzar [6, 7, 8]
  • 600-700 CE – Yellow lead antimonite known to Chaldean civilization in southern Iraq [6, 9]
  • 1st century CE – Roman scholar Pliny the Elder described seven different medicinal remedies using stimi or stibi (stibium), referring to antimony sulfide, in his treatise Natural History; Greek naturalist Pedanius Dioscorides mentioned that antimony sulfide could be roasted by heating with air, likely producing metallic antimony [1, 10, 11]
  • 815 CE – Jabir ibn Hayyan described the first intentional preparation of pure antimony [4]
  • 1050-1100 – Constantine the African translated Arabic medical treatises mentioning antimonium [10]
  • 14th century – Antimony frequently described in alchemical manuscripts, including the Summa Perfectionis of Pseudo-Geber [10, 11]
  • 15th century – Records show use of antimony in alloys for type, bells, and mirrors [1, 11]
  • Mid-15th century – Antimony added as hardening agent in cast metal printing type used by Johannes Gutenberg’s first printing presses [12, 13]
  • 1500s – Antimony reportedly added to alloys used to produce church bells for pleasant tone [12, 13]
  • 1540 – Vannoccio Biringuccio wrote first description of antimony isolation procedure in De la pirotechnia [2, 3, 10, 11]
  • 1556 – Georgius Agricola published De re metallica, often incorrectly credited with antimony discovery [10, 5]
  • 16th century – Antimony regularly featured in alchemical and medical texts [14, 15]
  • Early 17th century – Antimony known as a metal [7, 16]
  • 1615 – Andreas Libavius described preparation of metallic antimony by direct reduction of sulfide with iron [1, 11]
  • Mid-17th century – Antimony first added as hardening agent to pewter (lead-tin alloy) [12, 13]
  • 1675 – Nicolas Lémery published chemistry textbook describing methods of antimony preparation [1, 11]
  • 1697 – Nicolas Lémery published Pharmacopée universelle [17, 18]
  • 1698 – Nicolas Lémery published Traité universel des drogues simples [17, 18]
  • 1707 – Nicolas Lémery published Traité de l’antimoine, first scientific study of antimony and its compounds [17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24]
  • 1770 – Britannia metal (tin, antimony, copper alloy) first produced in Sheffield, England [12, 13]
  • 1783 – Swedish scientist Anton von Swab described first discovery of naturally occurring pure antimony from Sala Silver Mine, Sweden [2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 25, 26, 27]
  • 1784 – British General Henry Shrapnel developed lead alloy containing 10-13% antimony for spherical bullets in artillery shells [12, 13, 28, 29]
  • 1791 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death possibly linked to antimony-based medicines [12, 14, 15]
  • 1803 – British artillery adopted shrapnel shell using antimony alloy [28]
  • 1804 – First recorded use of shrapnel by British against Dutch at Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam, Suriname [28]
  • 1808 – Duke of Wellington’s armies used antimony-containing shrapnel in Peninsular War [28]
  • 1815 – Battle of Waterloo featured use of antimony-containing shrapnel ammunition [28]
  • 1824 – Isaac Babbitt became first US producer of table utensils from Britannia metal [12, 13]
  • 1839 – Isaac Babbitt created bearing alloy of 4 parts copper, 8 parts antimony, 24 parts tin [12]
  • 1852 – Captain E.M. Boxer improved shrapnel shell design for British artillery [28]
  • 1864 – Lieutenant-Colonel Boxer adapted design for rifled muzzle-loader guns [28]
  • 1869 – Antimony formally entered Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table as element 51 [14, 15]
  • Early 1900s – US automobile industry stimulated demand for antimony in lead-acid batteries [12, 13]
  • 1914-1918 – World War I caused global antimony production to double, peaking at 82,000 tons in 1916 [12, 13]
  • 1916 – Global antimony production reached peak of 82,000 tons due to wartime demand [12, 13]
  • Early 1930s – Guizhou province, China issued coins made from antimony-lead alloy [10, 12, 13]
  • 1931 – Antimony coins issued in China’s Guizhou province, soon discontinued due to softness and toxicity [10, 30]
  • 1939-1945 – World War II created unprecedented demand for antimony in batteries and flame retardants [15]
  • 2020 – China accounted for 54.5% of global antimony production [10, 11]
  • 2022 – China produced 54.5% of world’s antimony, followed by Russia (18.2%) and Tajikistan [11]
  • 2024 – China restricted antimony exports beginning in August [31]
  • 2024 – German company Henkel declared force majeure on antimony-containing products in November [31]
  • 2024 – China banned antimony exports to United States in December [31]

Final Thoughts

Antimony’s journey through human history exemplifies the complex relationship between civilization and the elements. From ancient Egyptian cosmetics to modern military technology, this “metal not found alone” has proven true to its etymological roots by consistently appearing alongside human innovation. Its story serves as a compelling reminder of how a single element can shape cultures, drive technological advancement, and pose both opportunities and challenges across millennia.

As we face contemporary issues of supply chain security and technological sovereignty, antimony’s strategic importance only grows, ensuring that this ancient element will continue to play a vital role in humanity’s future.

Thanks for reading!

References

[1] Antimony | Definition, Symbol, Uses, & Facts | Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/science/antimony

[2] What Is Antimony? – WorldAtlas – https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-antimony.html

[3] Native Antimony – Mineral Properties, Photos and Occurrence – https://mineralexpert.org/article/native-antimony-mineral-overview

[4] Antimony: Mineral information, data and localities – https://www.mindat.org/min-262.html

[5] Facts about Antimony – Science Struck – https://sciencestruck.com/antimony-facts

[6] Antimony – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table – https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/51/antimony

[7] WebElements Periodic Table » Antimony » historical information – https://www.webelements.com/antimony/history.html

[8] Antimony – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table – https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/51/antimony

[9] Antimony – Assignment Point – https://assignmentpoint.com/antimony/

[10] Antimony – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimony

[11] Antimony information page | Haines & Maassen – https://www.haines-maassen.com/en/sb

[12] Historical Uses of Antimony Metals – https://www.thoughtco.com/history-antimony-metal-2340120

[13] Antimony – Military Metals Corp – https://www.militarymetalscorp.com/antimony/

[14] A brief primer on the history of antimony – North of 60 Mining News – https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/story/2024/11/01/northern-mining-history/a-brief-primer-on-the-history-of-antimony/8775.html

[15] History of antimony – History Pixel – https://historypixel.com/antimony/

[16] Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory – https://periodic.lanl.gov/51.shtml

[17] Nicolas Lemery – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Lemery

[18] Nicolas Lemery | Encyclopedia.com – https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/science-and-technology/chemistry-biographies/nicolas-lemery

[19] [Nicolas Lemery, a pluridisciplinary Scientist] – PubMed – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29611677/

[20] Nicolas Lemery and the Acid-Base Chemistry | SciHi Blog – http://scihi.org/nicolas-lemery/

[21] Who Discovered Antimony? | Reference.com – https://www.reference.com/science/discovered-antimony-5be7bc71539b41bf

[22] It’s Elemental – The Element Antimony – https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele051.html

[23] History – Antimony – http://isabellaantimony.weebly.com/history.html

[24] Wikijunior:The Elements/Antimony – Wikibooks – https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikijunior:The_Elements/Antimony

[25] Svabite – National Gem Lab – https://nationalgemlab.in/svabite/

[26] Buy Antimony Metal | High Purity Antimony for Sale – RWMM – https://www.rwmmint.com/products/antimony-sb

[27] Mines: Antimony – https://www.showcaves.com/english/explain/Resources/Antimony.html

[28] Shrapnel shell – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrapnel_shell

[29] Henry Shrapnel – Wikipedia – https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Shrapnel

[30] Antimony (Sb) – Periodic Table – https://www.periodictable.one/element/51

[31] China-US antipathy highlights strategic importance of antimony – https://www.aveva.com/en/our-industrial-life/type/article/china-us-antipathy-highlights-strategic-importance-of-antimony/