Bismuth

Bismuth is found in metallic crystals associated with nickel, silver, tin and uranium sulphide ores. It has a limited abundance in the earth’s crust and as a result, Bismuth is not typically mined as a primary product.  Instead Bismuth is usually produced as by-product from processing other metal ores.

Bismuth is a heavy, brittle metal with a silvery white colour.  The surface of Bismuth has a slight pink tinge to it, due to the formation of a surface oxide.  Bismuth is the most diamagnetic of all metals, and with the exception of mercury, has a lower thermal conductivity than any other metal.  The electrical resistance of Bismuth is very high and Bismuth also exhibits a higher "Hall effect” than any other metal.  The “Hall effect” is the increase in the electrical resistance when placed within a magnetic field.

Bismuth is used in producing malleable irons, as a catalyst for making acrylic fibres, and as a thermocouple material.  It is also used as a filter for gamma rays due to its high absorption of this type of radiation. Other applications include use in fire detection and as a carrier for uranium fuel in nuclear reactors.

Bismuth compounds are used in relatively wide range of medical procedures, medicines and cosmetics.

Further properties of bismuth have been outlined below:

• Bismuth Melting point 271.31 °C
• Bismuth Density 9780 kgm^-3
• Bismuth Young’s modulus 32 GPa
• Bismuth Poisson’s ratio 0.33
• Bismuth Electrical Resistivity 130 x 10^-8 Wm
• Bismuth Thermal Conductivity 8 W m^-1 K^-1