Bismuth metal is silver gray to light pink metal, which is in form of ingots, sheets, granules, ball, powder. Bismuth ingots are brittle and tend to break up. Its electroconductibility and thermal conductivity is bad, however it is best diamagnetism metal and electrical resistivity increase and thermal conductivity reduce at the magnetic field. Except mercury, bismuth is lowest thermal conductivity metal. the It shows light blue fire and yellow or brown bismuth oxide turns out when heating at room temperature. The molten metal get larger bulk after condensation, which is bismuth crystal with Bi2O3 layer on its surface. Bismuth metal powder is soluble in hot sulfuric acid, nitric acid, aqua regia, slowly dissolve in hot hydrochloric acid, but not in water.
Selenides and tellurides of bismuth have semiconducting properties.
Different from other heavy metals, the toxicty of bismuth is relatively lower than lead or antimony. It is not easily absorbed by body and doesn’t cause cancer, also not damage DNA structure and could be excreted with urine. Considering these factors, bismuth is used to replace lead on various applications, for example, lead-free bullets, lead-free solder, medicine and cosmetics.
Bismuth Metal
Purity:99.99%, 99.999%, 99.999% (it doesn’t react with oxygen and water and stable in air at room temperature)
| CAS No.:7440-69-9 | EINECS No.:231-177-4 | Molecular Formula:Bi | Molecular Weight:208.98 |
| Melting Point:271.4℃ | Boiling Point:1560℃ | Density:9.8 |
Applications
Bismuth ingot is mainly raw material for fusible alloy ( Wood’s metal). The melting point is 47~262℃. The most common are Bi-Pb, Bi-Sn, Bi-Sb, Bi-In, which are for fire protecting arrangement, automatic sprinkler, safety plug of boiler, fuse, soldering tin. Bismuth alloy wouldn’t shrink when solidification, so it is in casting printing type and high precision cast.
Steel add with small amount of bismuth metal can improve its processability. Cu-Bi multicomponent alloys are substitute for the Pb-Cu alloy of water conduit. With close cost, but avoid Pb polluting water. CuSn3Zn8Bi2-7 is another example that Bi replace Pb, however get same composite material and meet same requirements of casting, processing. Adding bismuth ingot to aluminum, magnesium and bronze can improve their machining property and wear-resisting property too. SnZnInBi alloy is non-toxic and fit for circuit board welding in assembling crystal valve that tend to overheat damage.
Bi-Al alloy can be as filler of curved thin-walled tube that could keep tube inside smooth and clean, further repeat uses.
Bi-Sn alloy can be for cold stamping die mould of metal thin sheet. Bi-Sn alloy is substitute of Pb shots.
Bi-Pb-Sn-Cd-In series low-melting alloy apply to electric appliance, safety device, signal meter of automatic.
Bi metal compound with tellurium, selenium, antimony and then pull crystal that is semiconductor parts. It is for thermoelectric couple, low temperature thermoelectric power generation and thermoelectric refrigeration.
High pure bismuth element is heating medium or coolant of nuclear industry, which prevent atomic fission.