Antimony | Teen Ink

Antimony

February 14, 2009
By Janette Mejia BRONZE, Stockton, California
Janette Mejia BRONZE, Stockton, California
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Hello or should I say salve? my name is antimony, I was born as stibium(Latin origin) there for my symbol is Sb a roman family ,but adopted by musa jabir ibn hayyan and now I’m not alone, because my name is antimony(“anti-mono“). I’m the 15 generation(group in periodic table) of my family. Ay age 51(atomic#)I weight121.76 grams(atomic mass) , and I’m expected to live 30 years more. You might of notice my brilliant luster , let me tell you ,keeping it that way is harder than you think. I’m actually kind of flaky and I don’t really get along with oxygen when we are in the same room.! He always seems to be triggering me to react , he’s probably jealous that I’m pure breed metalloid, yeah aluminum wasn’t that lucky, sucks to be him. Well today I’m going to tell you about my adventure around the world ,my life changing experience! #

It all started in china ,the country were I was born in ,the largest producer of antimony# .Me and my brother arsenic ,were taken in to a laboratory to be used in animal testing for scientific exploration. I was kind of scared since knowing that the last time I saw my dad, sulfur he said he was going shopping ,but instead was turned into a battery#. Damn propaganda! I bet he’s in some recycling center right now#, I could just smell it. Once we got to the laboratory ,some want to be alchemist took me into a melting pot. I’m telling you I never felt so much heat in my life since the global melt down .the temperature must have been 1,635*c #not to exaggerate ,but it was. A couple of minutes later I was antimony trioxide#. I had a different state of mind ,and I didn’t know my purpose anymore.


As my challenge in finding my identity continued I discovered that my brother had caused arsenic poising # in the control experiments. The mice’s lungs had expanded to much to a point were they collapsed and died. I would like to take a minute to acknowledge theses little mice who gave up their life’s for the better of mankind’s’ society. As for me next week I’m supposed to be shipped to a London pottery and glass design school.

Unfortunally my destination had a dramatic change and purpose due to smuggling .
From now on you could call me Antimonio ,because instead of being shipped to England I was shipped to Italy. As a very rare element I’m only found by 0.2ppm in the earths crust# .You could buy me online for thousands of dollars or cheaper in the Italian mafia. This was the case for Nek Vivaldi ,he couldn’t afford top of the line consultations with doctors ,so he decided to steal me to treat his schistosomiasis # , obviously he hadn’t heard that I was replaced by praziquantel #light years ago .Nek’s intake of moi, meant that I would attach myself to sulfur in a specific enzyme#. I hope the sulfur host does not end up being my aunt Sul fur Elise that would be dreadful. I heard that she and her daughter Antoinette ,were used as cosmetics in ancient Egypt #and Greece until eye shadow replaced them. Everything was going right ,until one day something atrocious happened


Nek , had taken an overdose and needed to go to the emergency room immediately .He’s been vomiting , having headaches, and showing symptoms of gastroenteritis since yesterday#. The worse is yet to come, for both of us. The doctors had informed that in order for me to abandon from Nek’s body I must be vaporized in the form of Sb O and break down in the form of Sb O also known as valentinite#. I’m supposed to be going to the university of Paris for comparison with my different types of alloys. From this point on I’m considered Antimoine ,but don’t worry I wont kill the monks#. I hope Nek recovers soon ,at least it wasn’t arsenic or who knows what could of happened .


As I was being shipped I notice something about my texture , something had gone wrong with the Nek’s procedure , I was now cool enough to expand# .Some how I had become an alloy. Well at least it was better than becoming poisoning gas/stibine once I reacted with hydrogen#. My type of alloy is used to maximize leads potential in order to be used in batteries containing acid and flame retardant materials# As long s they don’t try making money with me I’m fine. Back in 1931, in Kweichow providence my family was used to make coins for a short period. Most of them were to weak to remain in the circulation#.


My days in France only lasted I month ,during December .it turns out that the university was actually trying to conduct experiments to see if alloys could be used to make the Eiffel tower stronger to combat any type of weather damages. Jean-Jacques should of left his bibliotheca chemica curiosa # open to the whole public, it would really help these scientist. But that is just the wonders of alchemy. By the way I’m one of the only element to have an alchemy symbol#.

2006 is here and I’m celebrating my new years in Tokyo in a high tech lab for electronic innovations, ammunition , and cable sheaths#. I really miss my mother iron, and arsenic I wonder what their doing. So far antimony sales are $ 1.85 per pound and is said that the prices are going to rise to $2.63 by mid May , since production haves not been good . September haves gone by as a bad month .Antimony prices reached to $2.60 the highest peak it haves ever reached. As a result gas prices nationwide have increased due to a supply deficit#. Now they have found an alternative of antimony: Compounds of chromium, tin, titanium, zinc, and zirconium, which they plan in replacing me#.

I think I’m going to retire as antimony 124(he’s 52 ,his atomic mass changed) , a radioactive isotope that acts as a tracer#. I’m sure being injected in a oil pipeline well do just fine ,as long as there is not a leak. Finally I managed to reunite with my mother , in crusty iron pipes that is .

My story ends quite tragically .It was a day in august ,the temperatures were quite high and there was a leak in the pipeline .As I escaped in the leak some of my compounds ignited into flames#. luckily for me I was saved when the landlord opened the refrigerator , bringing enough cool air for me to expand.. Wow! What a relief. For a second there I taught I was gone for good! I’m definitely moving to the north pole now.





With warm regards(but not to warm)I would like to say goodbye. It really haves been a life changing experience, mentally and physically. I leave with more knowledge of the world , and what I’m capable of. As for you ,I hoped you learned not to eat me ,and as for me I learned to stay away from hot temperature ,fluorine, chlorine ,bromine ,hot nitric(aqua regia) ,and sulfuric acid#. I hope you remember the importance and effects of antimony in society .It could be as small as being used for cosmetics to increasing gas prices. For all of you believers , I do not cause cancer, but I’m bad for y our liver and cardiovascular system#. So I’ll guess I’ll see you until the next time. My compounds are opened as long as you want.

The author's comments:
it's the life story of antimony , the element.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 1 comment.


HeavyMetal said...
on Jan. 2 2012 at 7:39 pm
Loved that story! Full of imagination and clever in-jokes! I'm a chemist, and it's great to see this enthusiasm for the building blocks of nature. If you want to read a good book about the elements, check out Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks.