Resumen de Metallurgy in the Laboratory:: Preparation of Pure Antimony
Brooke L. O'Klatner, Daniel Rabinovich
Very few procedures have appeared in the literature for the preparation of small amounts of pure metals or metalloids in an undergraduate laboratory. The preparation of pure antimony is readily accomplished on a laboratory scale by the high-temperature reduction of antimony trioxide with potassium cyanide. The product is obtained in almost quantitative yield (up to 98%) using a procedure that is simple, inexpensive, and quick. This experiment also illustrates the basic principles of metallurgy and introduces students to an element whose chemistry is seldom discussed in general or inorganic chemistry classes.
