Antimony trichloride toxicity

The last salt we ll mention in this category is antimony trichloride, also called Butter of Antimony. Properly, this belongs to the Mineral works so we will only mention its use at this point. The preparation and use of this salt is much more difficult and dangerous than any of the salts previously discussed. When it is prepared, it has the color and texture of butter, hence the name. However, it is toxic and very corrosive so it requires some skill and practice to work with safely. 

ANTIMONY TRICHLORIDE (10025-91-9) Cl3Sb Contact with moist air forms corrosive hydrogen chloride fumes. Contact with water, steam forms hydrochloric acid and toxic antimony oxychloride. Aqueous solution is an acid. Violent reaction with ammonia, strong bases, amines, amides, and inorganic hydroxides alkali metals finely divided aluminum potassium, sodium. Attacks metals, releasing flammable... 

Antimony and salts (antimony trichloride, antimony trioxide, antimony penlachloride [CAS 7440-36-0]) Dusts and fumes irritating to eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Toxicity through contaminatioh with sliica or arsehic may occur. Antimony trioxide is carcinogenic in test animais with iimited evidence for carcinogenicity among antimony trioxide production workers (iARC 2B). See aiso p 98. 0,5 mg/m (as Sb) 50 mg/m (as Sb) 3 0 1 (SbCIs) 4 0 1 (SbFs) The metal is sliver-white ahd has a very low vapor pressure, Some ohioride salts release HCI upon contact with air. 

Nevertheless, when the toxicity of absinthe is assessed, substances in addition to alcohol and even thujone must be considered. Copper sulfate, antimony trichloride and copper acetate were sometimes used to enhance the color of the drink, and methanol was a concern too. The concentration of thujone in typical absinthe was estimated as 200 mg/1 a centuiy ago. Realistically, this number was way too high. 2.5 kg of wormwood was used to make 2001 of absinthe, which means that a single liter of the final drink could not have contained more than 90 mg of the essential oil. Assuming a veiy high, 70% thujone content in the oil, it still leads to an estimate of 60 mg/1 for the concentration in the final product. 

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