Bismuth

Bismuth, a grey metal found native in Saxony, and as oxide (Bismuth ochre) and sulphide (Bismuth glance). It occurs in Cornwall as sulphide, associated with sulphides of lead and copper. The metal is obtained from its ores by roasting, and afterwards melting with charooal and a little iron, under a layer of slag. The metal so obtained is slowly melted, and the bismuth, which fuses easily, is run off, and finally purified by melting with a little nitre. It is a very brittle and crystalline metal, fuses at 264°. It has at. wt. 210; sp. gr. 9.93. Its symbol is Bi. It Is used as a constituent of many alloys. Fusible metal is composed of two parts bismuth, one part lead, and one part tin, This alloy melts at 96°, and has the property, like bismuth itself, of expanding on solidifying, It forms two oxides, BiO3 and BiO5, and forms salts with different mineral acids. It shows close relationship to antimony (q.v.) in most of its properties.