Appearance and Characteristics
Harmful effects:
Bismuth is not known to be toxic.
Characteristics:
Bismuth is a crystalline, brittle, metal. Lying on the right side of the periodic table, bismuth is the most naturally diamagnetic metal; this means it resists being magnetized and is repelled by a magnetic field. One effect of this can be seen in the video (left).
Bismuth also has unusually high electrical resistance for a metal. Its thermal conductivity is lower than any metal, except mercury. Bismuth has the unusual property that (like water) it expands as it freezes. Four other elements expand when they freeze: silicon, gallium, antimony and germanium.
Uses of Bismuth
Bismuth is used in medicine (bismuth subnitrate and subcarbonate), cosmetics (bismuth oxychloride), low-melting alloys, fire detection/extinguishing systems, replacement for lead in shot and bullets (bismuth-tin alloy).