Abstract
Antimony is widely used in modern science and technology. Currently, the most important consumer of high-purity antimony is the semiconductor industry. The article presents the results of the analysis of metallurgical samples for the content of antimony, which belongs to the group of harmful impurities. Traditionally, the decomposition of metallurgical samples is carried out by acid dissolution of the sample, alkali fusion or sintering. The least labor-intensive method is acid dissolution. However, this method has a number of significant disadvantages: incomplete opening, loss of antimony due to the hydrolysis of its salts, and the interfering influence of accompanying elements that also pass into solution during acidic dissolution of the sample. The most reliable results in the photometric determination of antimony content can be obtained by sintering a sample, accompanied by the separation of interfering elements by their precipitation in the form of carbonates and the transfer of antimony into a form that is not subject to hydrolysis (MexSbyOz antimonates). However, the specific conditions for the sintering process of antimony-containing metallurgical samples are not described in the literature. The work proposes a method for the decomposition of metallurgical samples, which consists of sintering the samples under study with Na2CO3 + ZnO. The phase composition of the presented samples has been established. A calibration characteristic for the photometric determination of antimony content in the concentration range from 1•10-3 to 1•10-2 mg/ml at a wavelength of 425 nm was constructed.