Atomic Number: 83

Atomic Weight: 208.98040

Melting Point: 544.55 K (271.40°C or 520.52°F)

Boiling Point: 1837 K (1564°C or 2847°F)

Density: 9.807 grams per cubic centimeter

Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

Element Classification: Metal

Period Number: 6

Group Number: 15

Group Name: Pnictogen

Special Notes: Radioactive

What's in a name? From the German words for white mass, Weisse Masse which was later changed to Wisuth and Bisemutum.

Say what? Bismuth is pronounced as BIZ-meth.

History and Uses:

Bismuth, which has been known since ancient times, was often confused with lead and tin. Bismuth was first shown to be a distinct element in 1753 by Claude Geoffroy the Younger. Bismuth does occur free in nature and in such minerals as bismuthinite (Bi 2 S 3 ) and bismite (Bi 2 O 3 ). The largest deposits of bismuth are found in Bolivia, although bismuth is usually obtained as a by-product of mining and refining lead, copper, tin, silver and gold.

Pure bismuth is a white, brittle metal with a slight pink color. Bismuth is usually mixed with other metals, such as lead, tin, iron or cadmium to form low-melting alloys. These alloys are used in such things as automatic fire sprinkler systems, fire detection systems and electrical fuses.

Bismuth oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ), a bismuth compound, is used as a yellow pigment in paints and cosmetics. Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) is used to make a pigment known as bismuth white. Bismuth carbonate (Bi 2 (CO 3 ) 3 ) is used to treat diarrhea and gastric ulcers.

Once thought to be the heaviest stable isotope to exist in nature, experiments conducted in 2002 showed that bismuth-209 is unstable and decays into thallium-205 through alpha decay. Bismuth-209 has a half-life of roughly 19,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.