Metals, MIN ER A LO G Y. Metals. 5XJL 
Stibium, Antimony.—Of afilvery greyilh white colour, 
and radiately-lamellar texture ; foftilh, and very brittle ; 
when rubbed between the fingers giving them a peculiar 
tafte and fmell : fpecific gravity, 6’86. Melting at a red 
heat; and, when gradually cooled, exhibiting cubical crys¬ 
tals on the Surface; in a greater degree of heat becoming 
firft a greyilh-white oxyd, afterwards an hyacinthine glafs, 
and laftly volatilizing in white vapours : forming a golden- 
yellow Solution in nitro-muriatic acid, and depofiting a 
white precipitate if water be poured into the Solution. 
This metal is uSed in the cure of various disorders, 
though, as noticed under Antimony, vol. i. it made its 
way flowly into prarfice. In its crude Hate, notwith¬ 
standing what has been Said by many authors of its efficacy 
in rheumatic, cancerous, and other, cafes, it appears from 
repeated trials to be an inert fubftance ; but its preparations 
are uSed both as alteratives and evacuants, and hardly 
any article in the materia medica will admit of So exten¬ 
sive a uSe in acute diSeafes, as well as chronical. In fe¬ 
vers of the inflammatory and putrid kinds, antimonials are 
alike the proper remedy ; and in chronical difeafes, whe¬ 
ther from the rigid or the lax habit, they may be depend¬ 
ed on. They promote all the Secretions and excretions, 
particularly thofe of the Skin, inteftines, urinary paflages, 
and falival dudts, by gently irritating the whole nervous 
and vafcular compages. If given in Small dofes, gradu¬ 
ally increafing them, yet keeping to that proportion which 
excites no fenfible discharge, they are efficacious in rege¬ 
nerating a healthy ftate of the blood ; for this purpofe 
their effedts are not So Speedy as thofe of iron, but they 
are more lafting. Thus it is eafy to perceive how juftly 
it is aflerted that antimonials are curative in So many dis¬ 
orders, and thofe too of oppofite natures. As auxiliary 
to other medicines, on which the cure more dire&ly de¬ 
pends, their efficacy is no lef 's to be admired ; they quick¬ 
en their aftion and increafe their powers, particularly 
thofe by which any evacuation is to be promoted ; mixed 
in under-dofes with Such medicines, their operation is ge¬ 
nerally more eafy. As an expeftorant, Some of its prepa¬ 
rations excel, and provoke the Salivary discharge in the 
fame manner as when mercury hath been freely taken; 
but that made by antimony is ropy, whereas that with 
mercury is very thin. If any preparation of antimony is 
too free in its operation upwards, it may be carried 
through the inteftines by taking a little common Salt in 
any Small drink made warm, or it is reftrained by a 
draught of water acidulated with the acidum vitrioli di- 
lutum. The preparations of this drug are very numer¬ 
ous, for the moft important of which fee the article Che¬ 
mistry, vol. iv. p. 276-9. 
1. Stibium nativum, or native antimony: of a tin-white 
■luftre, melting without Sulphurous or arfenical vapours. 
Found in the mines of Sweden, and in Dauphiny, in irre¬ 
gular mafies or kidney-form pieces : texture lamellar, with 
ftraight foliations: it deflagrates with nitre, and melts 
and evaporates before the blowpipe, leaving a white oxyd: 
when difiolved in nitro-muriatic acid, it depofits a dark- 
red precipitate by the addition of Sulphurated ammonia : 
contains antimony 98, Silver 1, iron 0-25. 
2. Stibium arfenicale, or arfeniated antimony : of a tin- 
white luftre, emitting arfenical vapours when heated. 
Found in Dauphiny, Hungary, and Saxony, in irregular 
mafles : contains about 16 per cent, of antimony. 
3. Stibium rubrum, or red antimonial ore: dull red, 
fibrous, a little fhining ; emitting Sulphurous and arfeni¬ 
cal vapours before the blowpipe. Found in the mines of 
Bohemia, Saxony, Hungary, and Tranfylvania, in the 
form of capillary cryftals grouped together, often diverg¬ 
ing in a radiate manner : texture fibrous, very Soft, brit¬ 
tle: fpecific gravity, 4. Contains oxyd of antimony 78-3, 
Sulphur 197, and (according to Dr. Kidd) Some hydrogen. 
I-Ie calls it hydro-Julphuret of antimony. 
4. Stibium argentigo, or plumofe antimonial ore: 
fibrous; leaving a filver bead before the blowpipe, and 
emitting Sulphurous vapours. Found in France, Sicily, 
Tranfylvania, Bohemia, Hungary, Saxony, &c. generally 
on other ores or Itones, in the form of capillary ftraight 
or flexuous fibres, which are loole or cohering, parallel or 
divergent, and Soft like wool: it is a little lhining, fria¬ 
ble, and ftains the fingers. Colour dark blue, grey, or 
white. It confifts of antimony, iron, Sulphur, and a little 
filver and arfenic. 
5. Stibium ftibigo, or ochre of antimony:, fibrous, a 
little fliining, emitting Sulphurous vapours before the 
blowpipe, and entirely evaporating in a more violent heat. 
Found in Saxony, Bohemia, Hungary, Dauphiny, &cc. 
Sometimes friable and earthy, but generally covering the 
Surface of other antimonial ores in the form of Soft downy 
capillary flexible fibres, which are loofe or bundled toge¬ 
ther, or ftellately difpofed. Colour blackilh, grey, liver- 
brown, dull red, violet, greenilh, ftraw-yellow, or varie¬ 
gated ; rarely white : it does not melt before the blowpipe, 
but evaporates and depofits a white powder: with borax 
it eftervefces, and is partly reduced. 
6. Stibium vulgare, or fulphuret of antimony : of a 
fteel-grey colour and metallic luftre, ponderous, emitting 
Sulphurous vapours before the blowpipe, and at laft eva¬ 
porating in white vapours. There are many varieties. 
Sulphuret of antimony is found in almoft every country 
of Europe, mafiive, difleminated, or Superficial, generally 
in matrices of quartz, lime, alumine, fluor, or barytes : it 
often ftains the fingers, and before the blowpipe melts 
with a blue flame, leaving a grey oxyd of antimony. Spe¬ 
cific gravity, 4-132 to 4-516. 
7. Stibium argentiferum, or Silvery antimonial ore: of 
a fteel-blue colour, with metallic luftre, and a whitiflt 
ftreak. a. Of a common form. ( 3 . In the form of many- 
fided cryftals. Found near Cremnitz in Hungary; and 
contains antimony 34, copper 31, Silver 15, Sulphur n, 
iron 3. 
8. Stibium phofphoratum, or phofphorated antimony : 
in acicular, Scattered, lamellar, longitudinally-ftreaked, 
cryftals; not inflaming, and yielding very little Smoke, 
before the blowpipe. Found in Savoy, in the cavities of 
a vein of fulphuret of antimony. Colour white, yellow, 
or blackilh: Soft, flexible, and eafily cut. It appears to 
be nothing more than Sulphuret of antimony combined 
with phofphoric acid. 
, 9 - Stibium muriaticum, white ore of antimony, or mu- 
riat of antimony: white, finning like mother-of-pearl, 
radiate, in a parallel manner, in the form of Small ere£h 
four-fided tables. Found in Bohemia, Saxony, Dauphiny, 
and Hungary. It is totally Soluble in nitro-muriatic acid, 
deciepitates in the fire, and eafily melts when powdered, 
evaporating in a white Smoke: with borax it leaves a me¬ 
tallic bead. According to Klaproth, it is nothing more 
than a white oxyd of antimony, containing oxyd of an¬ 
timony 86, oxyd of iron 3, filex 8. 
Tellurium.— Colour between tin and lead; Soft, very 
brittle, and eafily reducible to powder, of a lamellar tex¬ 
ture ; fpecific gravity, 6-115: melting in a heat Somewhat 
above the fufing-point of lead, and, if the heat be a little 
increaSed, boiling and evaporating, attaching itfelf in 
brilliant drops to the upper part of the retort; before the 
blowpipe burning with a lively blue flame, the edges of 
which are green, and at laft evaporating in a white Smoke 
• Smelling like radilhes: partly loluble in concentrated Sul¬ 
phuric acid, and giving the acid a crimfon red colour, 
which precipitates a white powder on the addition of a 
large quantity of water. 
As the alchemifts diftinguiflied metallic fubftances by 
the Same name that the ancients had applied to the pla¬ 
nets, the principle was extended in the prefent inftance* 
and the metal under consideration was named by Klaproth 
from our own planet the earth, or Tellus. Tellurium 
has but recently been discovered ; and, as it was met with 
in Some of the ores of Tranfylvania, it has Sometimes been 
called Sylvanite. In thefe ores it is united with gold, and 
iron, and other metals. From the white colour of the 
