Bismuth - Common Uses

Bismuth is a hard, brittle lustrous, and coarsely crystalline metal, it is the element 83 on the periodic table of elements with the atomic symbol Bi. It has a gray-white color with a slight pink or reddish tinge and occurs both native and in compounds. The Bismuth pieces you'll find at the Village Rock Shop were melted by one of our local collaborators.

In the native state, it is found in veins associated with lead, tin, zinc, and silver ores in China, Germany, England, Bolivia, Mexico, Japan, Canada. Bismuth's naturally occurring compounds are bismite, bismuthinite, bismutite.

Commercial Bismuth is produced as a by-product in the smelting and refining of lead, tin, copper, silver, and gold ores. In the 15th-century the German monk Basil Valentine mentions this metal in his writing as "weissmuth", an old German term that probably means "white mass", later the term was Latinized to bisemutum by the mineralogist Georgius Agricola. Bismuth was accepted as a specific metal by the middle of the 18th century.

Uses of Bismuth in Various Industries

Bismuth has a variety of uses due to its properties, for example, its melting point of 520F, and its boiling point of 2,480F make it useful for industrial and military uses.

• Cosmetic products - bismuth oxychloride, a pearly powder is used in eyeshadow, nail polish and lipsticks to add a pearlescent quality to these products.
• Alloys - metallic bismuth is primarily used in alloys, it is a useful ingredient of type-metal alloys and an important component of low-melting alloys, which have a wide array of applications, especially in fire extinguishers and fire detectors.
• Pharmaceutical uses- Bismuth is the main ingredient in stomach ache and indigestion remedies such as Pepto-Bismol. It decreases the flow of fluids and electrolytes into the bowel and reduces inflammation within the intestine. Bismuth was also used in outlining the alimentary tract during X-ray examination.

• Industrial uses - Bismuth compounds are used as catalysts in the manufacturing process of synthetic fibers, acrylic fibers, paints, and plastics.
• Military uses - Bismuth is used as a replacement for lead in shot and bullets.
• Bismuth is also used in nuclear reactors.

Buy Bismuth to Help You Through Stressful Times

If you are looking for crystals, gemstones, or unique metals like Bismuth, feel free to contact us. According to energy healers, Bismuth can help in relieving emotional and spiritual isolation or loneliness. Bismuth can be used to support transformation, it will boost your vitality, focus the mind, enabling you to overcome any obstacles and achieve your goals. It can help you calm your mind during stressful times. We invite you to visit our shop and choose the Bismuth pieces you like from our collection.