Yellow powdery solid; density 3.80 g/ cm3; very slightly soluble in water; hydrated pentoxide is insoluble in nitric acid; dissolves in an aqueous solution of caustic potash.
Antimony pentoxide (Sb2O3) is used as a flame retardant for textile materials and as a source
to prepare other antimony compounds.
It is used as flame retardants in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer, plastics, rubbers, paper and textiles. It finds use as a flocculant in the production of titanium dioxide. It also finds use in ion-exchange resin. It is also employed as catalyst in certain polymerization and oxidation reactions.
Fire retardant in clothing.
The hydrated oxide is prepared by hydrolysis of antimony pentachloride; or by acidification of potassium hexahydroxoantimonate(V), KSb(OH)6 [12208- 13-8]. The product, filtered and air dried at ambient temperature has approximate composition Sb2O5 ? 3.5H2O. It may be also prepared by oxidation of antimony trioxide with nitric acid.
A yellow solid. It is usually
formed by the action of concentrated nitric
acid on antimony or by the hydrolysis of
antimony(V) chloride. Although an acidic
oxide, it is only slightly soluble in water.
Flammability and Explosibility
Non flammable
Moderately toxic by
intraperitoneal route. See also ANTIMONY
COMPOUNDS.
