What is "bismuth"

Bismuth \Bis"muth\, n. [Ger. bismuth, wismuth: cf. F. bismuth.] (Chem.) One of the elements; a metal of a reddish white color, crystallizing in rhombohedrons. It is somewhat harder than lead, and rather brittle; masses show broad cleavage surfaces when broken across. It melts at 507[deg] Fahr., being easily fused in the flame of a candle. It is found in a native state, and as a constituent of some minerals. Specific gravity 9.8. Atomic weight 207.5. Symbol Bi.

Note: Chemically, bismuth (with arsenic and antimony is intermediate between the metals and nonmetals; it is used in thermo-electric piles, and as an alloy with lead and tin in the fusible alloy or metal. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic substance known.

Bismuth glance, bismuth sulphide; bismuthinite.

Bismuth ocher, a native bismuth oxide; bismite.

1660s, from obsolete German Bismuth, also Wismut, Wissmuth (early 17c.), which is of unknown origin; perhaps a miner's contraction of wis mat "white mass," from Old High German hwiz "white." Latinized 1530 by Georgius Agricola (who may have been the first to recognize it as an element) as bisemutum. According to Klein, not from Arabic.

n. 1 A chemical element (''symbol'' Bi) with an atomic number of 83. 2 (cx countable English) A single atom of this element.

n. a heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically); usually recovered as a by-product from ores of other metals [syn: Bi, atomic number 83]

Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and the atomic number 83. Bismuth, a pentavalent post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, chemically resembles its lighter homologs arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead. It is a brittle metal with a silvery white color when freshly produced but is often seen in air with a pink tinge owing to surface oxidation. Bismuth is the most naturally diamagnetic element, and has one of the lowest values of thermal conductivity among metals.

Bismuth metal has been known since ancient times, although it was often confused with lead and tin, which share some physical properties. The etymology is uncertain, but possibly comes from Arabic bi ismid, meaning having the properties of antimony or German words weiße Masse or Wismuth ("white mass"), translated in the mid-sixteenth century to New Latin bisemutum.

Bismuth was long considered the element with the highest atomic mass that is stable. However, in 2003 it was discovered to be weakly radioactive: its only primordial isotope, bismuth-209, decays via alpha decay with a half life more than a billion times the estimated age of the universe.

Bismuth compounds account for about half the production of bismuth. They are used in cosmetics, pigments, and a few pharmaceuticals, notably bismuth subsalicylate, used to treat diarrhea. Bismuth's unusual propensity to expand upon freezing is responsible for some of its uses, such as in casting of printing type. Bismuth has unusually low toxicity for a heavy metal. As the toxicity of lead has become more apparent in recent years, there is an increasing use of bismuth alloys (presently about a third of bismuth production) as a replacement for lead.

"Bismuth" is the twentieth and twenty-first episode of the third season of American animated television series Steven Universe, which premiered on August 4, 2016 on Cartoon Network. It was written and storyboarded by Lamar Abrams, Colin Howard, Jeff Liu and Katie Mitroff. The episode was viewed by 2.153 million viewers.

In the episode, Steven accidentally frees a Gem bubbled within Lion's mane, who is introduced as Bismuth, one of the original Crystal Gems. Bismuth is reunited with Pearl and Garnet, while Amethyst, who never knew about her, quickly warms up to her. However, Steven learns that Bismuth had a falling out with Rose Quartz over a weapon she wanted to use to shatter Homeworld Gems, and the same thing occurs.