Peter May

(Book Overview) This new book discusses important topics on one of the most basic of thermodynamic properties, namely Solubility - a property which underlies most industrial processes. The objective of the book is to bring together new, exciting and disparate topics, all related to Solubility, in a single volume, so that readers can extend their horizons and relate hitherto unrelated topics, leading to innovative and creative ideas.

Antimony is a naturally occurring element. It belongs to group 15 of the periodic table of the elements. Antimony can exist in a variety of oxidation states (–III, 0, III, V) but it is mainly found in two oxidation states (III and V) in environmental, biological, and geochemical samples. Although antimony was already known to the ancients, it is still often overlooked, both as an element of environmental concern and as a subject for study, probably because of its lower abundance and the relative insolubility of most of its compounds. This is reflected in the poor standard of existing data on the behavior of antimony in natural waters. However, interest in the study of this element seems to be growing and an increasing number of papers on the subject are being published. A useful series of comprehensive reviews on antimony in the environment has recently been published (1, 2).