A N T I M O N Y : ITS HISTORY, CHEMISTRY, MINERALOGY ...

CHAPTER VIII.
THE PBODUCTION AND VALUATION OF ANTIMONY ORE.
THE following is a list of the most important antimony minerals,
with their antimony content:—
£ >> / Senarmontite . . ., . 83*56 per cent. Sb.
| J | I Valentinite 83'56 ,,
| "£ 11 Cervantite . . . . . 79'20
j§g § Kermesite 75'30
^'-g'S VStibnite 71 "80-
Volgerite 58'91
Guejarite 58*50
Berthierite 57'00
Livingstonite . . . . .53'12
Zinkensite . . . . . 42*60
The market of antimony ore is, in a general way, confined to a few
smelters and their agents, and the price is chiefly a more matter of
private contract, generally according to the principle of sliding scales.
French dealers have made use of the following formula for the
determination of the value of antimony ore :—
in which:
p=the value of 1000 kilos, or 1 metric ton of mineral.
— =the tenor of the ore determined by fire-assay.
—=the loss in smelting.
c=the value of regulus in francs per metric ton.
/=cost of smelting and profit,of the smelter per metric ton of regulus.
The loss in smelting may be calculated as 10 per cent, of the
metallic tenor of the ore. The cost of smelting may roughly bo
estimated at 350 to 500 frs., or at £li to £18, per ton of metal
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