Bismuth

What it is and where it is found
Bismuth is a shiny, silver-white, very brittle metal with semi-conductor characteristics (melting point 271.3°C, boiling point 1,560°C). The specific weight of bismuth is 9.78 g/cm³. When it solidifies it expands; it lowers the melting point of Pb-Sn alloys, and is even said to have a healing effect. Bismuth is a by-product coupled with the production of copper, lead and also zinc.

What it is used for
About 50 – 60 % of the bismuth is used by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, almost 25 % of it for low-melting alloys of which Wood’s metal is the best known one. Such alloys are required, e.g., for monitoring instruments and special solders. About 10 % of the metal is used for Sn/Bi alloys required in pattern making and by turneries.

How it is traded
Marketable commercial bismuth is traded in ingots with a purity of 99.95 % and/or 99.99 %. But there also is special pharmaceutical-grade material which has a purity of at least 99.997 %.
Bismuth with a silver content of below 10 ppm requires an export license if it is to be sold to countries outside the EU, because this material could be used by the nuclear industry.

Bismuth