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Bismuth

Element 83 · Post-transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number
83
Atomic mass
208.98
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
271.4 °C
Boiling point
1,564 °C
Density
9.807 g/cm³
Discovered
1753

Physical data from PubChem.1

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Not needed, little harm known. Bismuth compounds do not dissolve well in body fluids, so they have low toxicity. Doctors use them to treat stomach ulcers. Long exposure to high doses can cause brain damage. 2

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The atom

Bi
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 18
4 (N) 32
5 (O) 18
6 (P) outermost 5
Total83

Configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³

4f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
5d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
6s ↑ ↓
6p ↑ ↑ ↑
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 83 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Xe core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 15
N Nitrogen P Phosphorus As Arsenic Sb Antimony Mc Moscovium

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Sources

  1. 1

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  2. 2

    Gonçalves Â, Matias M, Salvador JAR, Silvestre S. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25(3):1600, 2024. Bioactive Bismuth Compounds: Is Their Toxicity a Barrier to Therapeutic Use? .

    • Bismuth compounds are considered relatively non-toxic, with their low solubility in aqueous solutions (e.g., biological fluids) being the major contributing factor to this property. Bismuth derivatives are widely used for the treatment of peptic ulcers
    • chronic exposure to high levels of bismuth compounds can often result in encephalopathy