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I’m confused. “Stillwell looked at uranium diantimonide (USb2), a uranium alloy.” Isn’t this a compound rather than an alloy? An alloy is a mixture (of iron and
by oxfeed65261 5y ago
I’m confused. “Stillwell looked at uranium diantimonide (USb2), a uranium alloy.” Isn’t this a compound rather than an alloy? An alloy is a mixture (of iron and carbon and whatever else to make steel, for example), unless I am very mistaken.
- graderjs 5y agoAntimony is a metal so they will call it an alloy. But there could also be a spectrum or clear demarcation between alloy and compound from a definition perspective, I don't know. I think it's cool this alloy actually looks like a crystal (ie, it's clear) rather than a metal. The only other metal thing I know that does that is ALON a transparent Aluminium ceramic, but there are probably lots. I think the difference between compounds, alloys, ceramics and glasses is maybe complex, but has something to do with the atomic lattice structure of the solid form. Ceramics and glasses will be less regular than compounds. Alloys I'm not sure!