What does antimonous mean?
Antimonous is a technical adjective used in chemistry to describe compounds in which antimony is present in its lower, trivalent (+3) oxidation state. It belongs to a classical system of nomenclature in which the suffix '-ous' marks the lower of two possible charges and '-ic' the higher — hence antimonous chloride (SbCl3) contrasts with antimonic chloride (SbCl5). Typical antimonous compounds include the oxide, sulfide, and chloride of trivalent antimony, several of which have long histories as pigments, medicines, and industrial reagents. Because modern chemistry favors Stock notation such as antimony(III), the word now appears chiefly in older texts, mineral descriptions, and traditional compound names. For readers outside chemistry it is rare, but within the field it remains a precise and useful marker of valence, instantly distinguishing one family of antimony compounds from another.
adjectiveRelating to or containing antimony, especially denoting antimony in its lower (+3) oxidation state, as in antimonous chloride.
- Denoting antimony in its +3 (trivalent) oxidation state in chemical compounds.
- More broadly, relating to or derived from antimony.
"The chemist reduced the antimonic compound to its antimonous form before precipitating the sulfide."
"Antimonous chloride, SbCl3, is a fuming, corrosive liquid once known as butter of antimony."
"The ore was roasted to convert the antimonous sulfide into the higher oxide."
In chemistry's naming conventions, 'antimonous' and 'antimonic' are rival siblings — same element, different charges, distinguished by nothing more than an '-ous' versus an '-ic' ending.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antimonous
Antimonous derives from antimony, whose own name is of uncertain origin — possibly from the Greek 'antimonos', though medieval Latin 'antimonium' is the immediate source. The adjective follows the classical chemical convention, borrowed from metal names such as ferric/ferrous and stannic/stannous, in which '-ous' denotes the lower oxidation state. Its sibling form, antimonic, marks the higher (+5) state, and both terms entered English scientific usage during the development of systematic chemical nomenclature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Related word forms
How antimonous is actually used
A technical term confined almost entirely to chemistry and mineralogy. The '-ous' suffix signals the lower of two common oxidation states (+3), contrasting with '-ic' forms such as antimonic (+5); this classical nomenclature has largely been superseded by Stock notation (e.g., antimony(III) chloride) in modern usage, so antimonous now appears mainly in older literature and traditional compound names.
Easily confused with antimonous
Antimonic refers to antimony in its higher (+5) oxidation state, whereas antimonous refers to the lower (+3) state.
Antimonial simply means relating to or containing antimony generally, without specifying an oxidation state, while antimonous specifies trivalent antimony.