Antimony

Antimony is a native element. Antimony metal is extracted from stibnite and other minerals and used as a hardening alloy for lead, especially storage batteries and cable sheaths, also used in bearing metal, type metal, solder, collapsible tubes and foil, sheet and pipes, and semiconductor technology.

Antimony salts are used in the rubber and textile industries. The most important use of antimony in the United States is in chemicals used to impregnate plastics, textiles, rubber, and other materials as a flame retardant – that is, a form of fireproofing. This is required by federal law for certain childrens’ clothing. Over half the annual U.S. antimony consumption is for the manufacture of flame retardants, dicine, and glassmaking.

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