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Bismuth
Bismuth occurs naturally as the sulphide, Bi2S3, and also as the oxide, Bi2O3. The process of extraction is similar to that described for antimony, involving roasting of the sulphide and reduction of the oxide to the metal with carbon.

Bismuth is a reddish-white metal, and is not chemically very reactive. It will burn at red heat in air, but has no action with water. It does not react with dilute sulphuric acid (or with concentrated sulphuric acid in the cold) or with hydrochloric acid; with nitric acid, the salt bismuth (III) nitrate, Bi(NO3)3.5H2O is formed. When this salt is dissolved in water, hydrolysis of the Bi3+ ion occurs, giving the bismuthyl ion BiO+, which usually forms a precipitate with any anion present. The same effect is observed when other bismuth salts (e.g. bismuth trichloride, bismuth (III) sulphate) are dissolved in water; addition of the appropriate acid suppresses the hydrolysis (cf. antimony).

Bismuth forms a hydride, BiH3, bismuthine, which, as would be expected, is extremely unstable, decomposing at ordinary temperature into bismuth and hydrogen. Derivatives such as Bi(CH3)3, trimethylbismuthine, are more stable.

The oxide of trivalent bismuth is usually written Bi2O3, since nothing is known about its molecular weight. It is insoluble in alkalis (contrast the other trivalent oxides in this group), but soluble in acids to give bismuth salts. If excess alkali is added to a solution of a bismuth salt, the hydroxide, Bi(OH)3, is precipitated; this again is insoluble in excess alkali but dissolves in acids.

Bismuth (V) oxide (written Bi2O5) is not easy to prepare; the (III) oxide (or better a suspension of the hydroxide) must be oxidized with a strong oxidizing agent such as the peroxydisulphate ion or permanganate. When this is carried out, the bismuthate ion, [BiV(OH)6]-, is formed. On evaporation, the sodium salt, for example, has the formula NaBiO3. Addition of acid to a solution of a bismuthate precipitates the (V) oxide, Bi2O5, but this loses oxygen rapidly and forms the trioxide. The bismuthate ion is an extremely strong oxidizing agent, e.g. the manganese (II) ion Mn2+ is oxidized to permanganate MnO4-. Bismuth forms trihalides similar to those of antimony, and the pentafluoride, BiF5 is known.

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