![Bismuth element card: symbol Bi, atomic number 83, atomic mass 208.98, electron configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³, oxidation states +3, Post-transition metal, group 15, period 6, solid at room temperature.](https://stage.chemistry-dictionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bismuth-chemical-element.webp)
Bismuth sits in group 15 of the periodic table immediately after lead. It shares many chemical properties with its neighbors arsenic and antimony. You can find bismuth in nature as a pure elemental metal.
Miners also extract it from common ores like bismuthinite and bismite. Companies usually produce bismuth as a byproduct of other mining operations. They collect it while extracting lead, copper, tin, silver, and gold.
Bismuth has a very unusual physical property during phase changes. Liquid bismuth expands slightly as it freezes into a solid state. Water is one of the few other substances that expands upon freezing.
Bismuth is the most diamagnetic of all naturally occurring metals. A diamagnetic material weakly repels an externally applied magnetic field. Bismuth also has an extremely low thermal conductivity.
This means it does not transfer heat well across its surface. Chemists consider bismuth to be an exceptionally stable chemical element. Its only natural isotope is bismuth-209.
Scientists consider bismuth-209 technically radioactive. However, this isotope decays incredibly slowly over time. Its half-life is vastly longer than the estimated age of the universe.
Bismuth has very low toxicity to biological life forms. Heavy metals like lead are very poisonous to human health. Manufacturers frequently use bismuth as a safer replacement for lead. It provides high density and mass without the severe health risks.