PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

As mentioned in the IB chemistry data booklet Bismuth is located in the 6th row and 15th column (group 15) in the periodic table which informs us that Bismuth ends in the p orbital which contains three electrons thus making bismuth a post transition metal which requires three more electrons for a stable and full outer shell like a noble gas. It has a relative atomic mass of 208.98 AMU (atomic mass units) with an atomic number of 83, these pieces of information will help explain its physical and chemical properties later on.

Bismuth was first discovered in the year 1753 by Claude Geoffrey Junine. Until the year 2003 Bismuth was thought to be the most stable element with the highest atomic mass, it was then discovered that it was extremely weakly radioactive, with its isotope Bismuth-209 found to alpha decay but with a half life more than a billion times longer than the estimated age of the universe, giving it a half life of 1 x 10 raised to the power of 19! 

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Bismuth 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 the word may come from the German words weiße Masse or Wismuth ("white mass"),

translated in the mid-sixteenth century to New Latin bisemutum or bisemutium.

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source- PS analytical

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Bismuth gets its name from the German word "wissmuth" meaning white mass and the latin word bisemutum. Often confused with tin and lead due to its resemblance to those elements. Bismuth was utilised in ancient times by the Egyptians, Greeks, Asians, Romans and Chinese.

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Bismuth occurs in nature and in such minerals as bismuthinite and bismite. The largest deposits of bismuth are found in Bolivia.

Bismuth was often mistaken for lead and tin due to their similar physical properties.

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Bismuth was documented to be mixed with copper and tin to create an alloy for knives.

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Bismuth compounds account for about half the production of bismuth. They are used in cosmetics; pigments; and a few pharmaceuticals used to treat diarrhea.

Bismuth's unusual propensity to expand as it solidifies is responsible for some of its uses, such as in the 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.