Details
What it is
- Silvery, brittle metal
- Melting point 630,74 °C
- Boiling point 1.750 °C
- Specific weight 6,697 g/cm³
Where it is found
Antimony (Sb) mostly occurs in connection with sulphur and other elements, such as copper, lead and tungsten. Almost 80 % of the antimony deposits are located in China.
What it is used for
Antimony has many uses, both as a metal and in its compounds. In its metallic form, it is primarily used today as an alloying component. Other metals will be for example hardened by the addition of antimony or gain corrosion resistance. In the form of an oxyd, the range of applications for antimony goes from the manufacturing of fire protection chemicals to paints and pharmaceutical products.
How it is traded
Antimony is traded in ingots as 20 - 25 kgs:
- Grade II with Sb min. 99.65 %, As max. 0.15 %, Se max. 0,005 %
- Trioxide grade with Sb min. 99,65 % and the following max. impurities:
- Bi max. 0,01 %
- Cu max. 0,02 %
- Pb max. 0,2 %
- Fe max. 0,02 %
- Trioxide
What it is
- Melting point 817 °C at 28 atm pressure
- Specific weight 5.720 g/cm³
Where it is found
Arsenic (As) occurs practically everywhere in the soil in low concentration. It is a trace element in antimony and copper ore. There are about 300 deposits worldwide.
What it is used for
The areas of application for arsenic range from pest control to fungicides in the timber industry, but also as an alloying component in the metal industry.
How it is traded
Arsenic is commonly traded as a powder.
What it is
- Silver-white, very soft metal
- Melting point 320,9 °C
- Boiling point 765 °C
- Specific weight 8,65 g/cm³
- Corrosion resistance, toxic
Where it is found
Cadmium (Cd) occurs almost exclusively as an admixture in zinc ores.
What it is used for
As a result of its high level of toxicity, cadmium probably is the most controversial minor metal. The battery industry is still an important consumer of cadmium. Furthermore, this metal is used in alloys, but also in the production of anti-corrosion coatings and PVC stabilisers. In some countries, it is even still commonly used in the production of pigments.
In combination with tellurium, the photovoltaic industry has also recently emerged as a potential future market.
How it is traded
This metal is usually traded in the form of bars, balls, anodes and / or ingots with a degree of purity of 99.95 % or 99.99 %.
What it is
- Silver-white, shiny metal
- Melting point 156 °C
- Boiling point 2.000 °C
- Specific weight 7,31 g/cm³
- Very soft and ductile
Where it is found
Zinc sulphides with 0.05 ppm is the most important raw material source for indium (In), but copper sulphides also contain indium.
What it is used for
The main field of application is the thin-film technology, in which an indium tin oxide (ITO) is applied to surfaces as a conductive coating. This technology is used today in many modern devices like smartphones, monitors, notebooks or televisions.
Moreover, indium as a metal has good gliding qualities and is therefore used as a thin layer on friction bearing metals. The metal is also added to various alloys and is therefore used in a wide range of application.
How it is traded
Indium is traded in the form of ingots or bars with a purity of at least 99.99 % as standard quality. Material with a purity of 99 % and even 99.9999 %, however, also has its market.
What it is
- Shiny, silver-white, very brittle metal
- Melting point 271,3 °C
- Boiling point 1.560 °C
- Specific weight 9,78 g/cm³
- When it solidifies it expands
Where it is found
Bismuth (Bi) is a by-product coupled with the production of copper, lead and zinc.
What it is used for
About 50 - 60 % of all bismuth is used by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Another 25 % goes to low-melting-point alloys whereas Cerrobend or Wood’s metal is the best known one. Such alloys are required, e. g., for monitoring instruments and special solders. About 10 % of the metal is used for Sn-Bi alloys required in model making and by turneries.
How it is traded
Marketable commercial bismuth is traded in ingots with a purity of 99.95 % and / or 99.99 %. But there is also special pharmaceutical-grade material which has a purity of at least 99.997 %.
What it is
- Firm, silvery and shiny light metal
- Melting point 650 °C
- Boiling point 1.107 °C
- Specific weight 1,74 g/cm³
- Easily deformability and water-repellent
Where it is found
Magnesium (Mg) does not purely occur in nature, but as an element in carbonate, chloride, sulphate or dolomite.
What it is used for
Magnesium is the lightest industrially used and construction metal. Because of its chemical structure, magnesium is used almost exclusively as an alloying metal. It hardens aluminium alloys and improves their weldability. Magnesium powder used in pyrotechnics is an entirely different field of application.
How it is traded
Magnesium is traded in the form of ingots, granules or powders.
What it is
- Silver-white, hard, very brittle transition metal
- Melting point 1.245 °C
- Boiling point 1.967 °C
- Specific weight 7,43 g/cm³
Where it is found
Manganese (Mn) occurs in nature mainly as brownstone. It is also technically possible to extract manganese nodules from the deep sea. The deposits are theoratically almost unlimited.
What it is used for
Manganese is used in the form of ferromanganese as an alloying element for steel and / or cast iron. In the process, oxygen and sulphur are extracted, and the steel / iron is hardened at the same time. Tensile strength and yield point are increased and the ductility is improved.
Manganese metal is used in alloys with other non-ferrous metals, especially copper and aluminium, and improves the strength, corrosion resistance and ductility.
How it is traded
Manganese is traded in the form of sheets / plates.
Minor Metals are key components in many areas of modern technologies.
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