ANT 



ANT 



genus of insects of the order Coleoptera. 

 Essen, char, antennae clavate,the club so- 

 lid ; feelers unequal, filiform ; jaws mem- 

 branaceous, linear, bifid ; lip entire ; head 

 hidden under the thorax. There are 13 

 species, of which the muscoreum is very 

 destructive to collections of perserved 

 animals, insects, &c. 



ANTHROPOMORPHA, in the Linnx- 

 an system of Zoology, a class of animals, 

 resembling in some degree the human 

 form ; the distinguishing characteristic of 

 which is, that all the animals comprehend- 

 ed in it have four fore teeth in each jaw, 

 and the teats are situated on the breast. 

 Besides the human species, which stands 

 at the head of this class, it likewise com- 

 prehends the monkey and sloth kinds. 



ANTHYLL1S, the bladder lotus, in bo- 

 tany, a genus of the Diadelphia Decan- 

 dria class of plants, the corolla whereof 

 is papilionaceous ; the fruit is a small 

 roundish legume, composed of two valves, 

 and containing one or two seeds. This 

 genus is separated into the A. herbace- 

 ous, and B. shrubby ; there are of the for- 

 mer 12 species, of the latter nine. 



A1ST1CHORUS, inbotany, a genus of 

 the Octandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Calyx four-leaved ; petals four ; capsule 

 superior, subulate, four-celled, four-valv- 

 ed ; seeds numerous. There is only one 

 species, found in Arabia. 



ANT1DESMA, in botany, a genus of 

 the Dioecia Pentandria class of plants, the 

 calyx of which is a perianthium, consist- 

 ing of five oblong, concave leaves ; there 

 is no corolla; the fruit is a cylindric ber- 

 ry, containing one cell, in which is lodg- 

 ed a single seed. There are three spe- 

 cies, found in the East Indies and China. 



ANTIMONY, in mineralogy, one of the 

 metals that is brittle and easily fused. No 

 metal has attracted so much of the atten- 

 tion of physicians as antimony. One par- 

 ly has extolled it as an infallible specific 

 for every disease : while another decried 

 it as a most virulent poison, which ought 

 to be expunged from the list of medicines. 

 Antimony, as it occurs under that name 

 in the shops, is a natural compound of 

 the^netal with sulphur. To obtain it in a 

 metallic state, the native sulphuret is to 

 be mixed with two-thirds its weight of 

 acidulous tartrite of potash, (in the state 

 of crude tartar,) and one-third of nitrate 

 of potash deprived of its water of crystal- 

 lization. The mixture must be projected, 

 by spoonfuls, into a red-hot crucible ; and 

 the detonated mass poured into an iron 

 mould greased with a little fat. The anti- 

 mony, on account of its specific gravity, 



will be found at the bottom, adhering to 

 the scoriae, from which it may be separated 

 by the hammer. Or three parts of the 

 sulphuret may be fused in a covered cru- 

 cible, with one of iron filings. The sul- 

 phur quits the antimony, and combines 

 with the iron. Antimony in its metallic 

 state (sometimes called regulus of anti- 

 mony) is of a silvery white colour, very 

 brittle, and of a plated or scaly texture. 

 It is fused by a moderate heat ; and crys- 

 tallizes, on cooling, in the form of pyra- 

 mids. In close vessels it may be vola- 

 tilized, and collected unchanged. It un- 

 dergoes little change when exposed to the 

 atmosphere at its ordinary temperature ; 

 but when fused, with the access of air, 

 it emits white fumes, consisting of an 

 oxide of the metal. This oxide had for- 

 merly the name of flowers of antimony. 

 Antimony combines with phosphorus and 

 sulphur. With the latter, an artificial 

 sulphuret is formed, exactly resembling 

 the native compound, which last may be 

 employed, on account of its cheapness, 

 for exhibiting the properties of this com- 

 bination of antimony. Antimony is dis- 

 solved by most of the acids. Sulphuric 

 acid is decomposed, sulphurous acid be- 

 ing disengaged, and an oxide formed, 

 of which a small proportion only is dis- 

 solved by the remaining acid. Nitric 

 acid dissolves this metal with great vehe- 

 mence ; muriatic acid acts on it by long 

 digestion; but the most convenient sol- 

 vent is the nitro-muriatic acid, which, 

 with the aid of heat, dissolves it from 

 the native sulphuret. With oxygenized 

 muriatic acid, it forms a compound of a 

 thick consistence, formerly called butter 

 of antimony. This may be formed by 

 exposing black sulphuret of antimony to 

 the fumes of oxygenized muriatic acid, 

 and subsequent distillation ; or by distill- 

 ing the powdered regulus with twice its 

 weight of corrosive muriate of mercury. 

 The metal becomes highly oxydized, and 

 unites with muriatic acid in its simple 

 state. On pouring this compound into 

 water, a white oxide falls down, called 

 powder of algaroth. Antimony is sus- 

 ceptible of various states of oxydizement. 

 The first oxide may be obtained by wash- 

 ing algaroth powder with a little caustic 

 potash. It is composed of 18 oxygen, 

 and 81 f metal. That formed by the ac- 

 tion of nitric acid on antimony contains 

 77 metal, and 23 oxygen. See OHES, 

 analysis of. 



ANTINOMIANS, in church history, a 

 sect of Christians, who reject the moral 

 law as a rule of conduct to believers. 



