Jul 11 2013
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications
Introduction
Bismuth is a white, crystalline, brittle metal with a pinkish tinge. It is represented by the chemical symbol ‘Bi’ and its atomic number is 83. A notable characteristic of this element is its diamagnetism, which is the highest amongt metals. It has a high electrical resistance and very low thermal conductivity. It belongs to p-block, period 6 of the periodic table.
Properties of bismuth are similar to that of lead and tin. All the salts of bismuth are insoluble in water. Two most common minerals of bismuth are bismite and bismuthimite. Bismuth is mainly found in Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Japan and Canada. Bismuth is not toxic by nature; however, large doses of bismuth can harm the kidney.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of bismuth are provided in the table below:
Chemical Data |
CAS number |
7440-69-9 |
Thermal neutron cross section |
0.032 barns/atom |
Electrode potential |
0.20 V |
Ionic radius |
0.740 Å |
Electro negativity |
1.9 |
X-ray absorption edge |
0.13691 Å |
Electrochemical equivalent |
2.59 g/A/h |
Physical Properties
The following table discusses the physical properties of bismuth.
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
Density |
9.80 g/cm3 |
0.354 lb/in3 |
Melting point |
271.3 °C |
520.3 °F |
Boiling point |
2000 °C |
3630°F |
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of bismuth are tabulated below.
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
Modulus of elasticity |
31.7 GPa |
4600 ksi |
Shear modulus |
11.9 GPa |
1730 ksi |
Hardness, Brinell |
7 |
7 |
Poissons Ratio |
0.33 |
0.33 |
Thermal Properties
The thermal properties of bismuth are tabulated below.
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@20-100°C/68-212°F) |
13.3 µm/m°C |
7.39µin/in°F |
Thermal conductivity |
10 W/mK |
69.4 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Applications
The following are the application areas of bismuth:
-
Pharmaceuticals
-
Cosmetics and pigments
-
Replacement of lead
-
Low melting solders
-
Fusible alloys
-
Synthetic fibres
-
Shots and shotguns.
Bismuth alloys are used in soldering, thermocouple materials and magnetic memory devices. Compounds of bismuth are used in lubricating greases, thermoelectric materials, infrared spectrometers, etc.