Bismuth (Bi)
"The Stomach Soother, the surprisingly non-toxic heavy metal hero who calms upset stomachs."
A memorable persona to anchor Bi in your mind.
9.78
Grams per cm³
271.406
Celsius (°C)
207
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Bismuth is found as the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1753
Discovered By
Claude François Geoffroy
Origin of Name
"The name come from the German 'Bisemutum' a corruption of 'Weisse Masse' meaning white mass."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
208.98 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
1564°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f145d106s26p3
1st Ionization Energy
7.289 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Bismuth is a brittle, silvery-white metal with a pinkish, iridescent tarnish."
Did You Know?
It is one of the few substances, along with water and gallium, that is less dense as a solid than as a liquid, meaning solid bismuth will float on molten bismuth.
Despite being a heavy metal, bismuth has exceptionally low toxicity, which is why its compounds are the active ingredient in stomach-soothing medicines like Pepto-Bismol.
Bismuth has the most striking iridescent tarnish, forming a rainbow-colored oxide layer on its surface, which is why it's popular for decorative crystals.
It is the most naturally diamagnetic element, meaning it is strongly repelled by magnetic fields.