Bismuth

Bismuth is a chemical element classified as a poor metal and known by the chemical symbol Bi. It was first produced and used in 15th century. Commonly known as the "Rainbow Rock" because of its multi-color appearance it is very often found in jewelry because of its diverse properties. It has a unique quality that makes it part of a elite group of 4 other elements, which will be discussed later. Claude François Geoffroy discovered Bismuth. If, lets say the beginning of the universe started 14 billion years ago, about 99.9999999 grams of it would still be around today because it is so incredibly slow to decay.

Properties
Bismuth is a white, crystalline, brittle metal with a pinkish tinge. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic, tending to become magnetized in a direction opposite to the applied magnetic field, of all metals, and the thermal conductivity is lower than any metal, except mercury.

Virtually non-toxic yet Flammable only in powder form

Bismuth is a soft, silvery metal with a bright, shiny surface and a yellowish or pinkish tinge.

Occurrences
In the Earth's crust, bismuth is about twice as abundant as gold. The most important ores of bismuth are bismuthinite and bismite

Bismuth is naturally found in Australia, Bolivia, and China.

Uses
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol) is used to treat diarrhea, heartburn, and upset stomach in adults It's used in cosmetics for accenting facial features because it has a distinct shimmery, pearlescent appearance and a fine white powder texture that adheres well to skin.

Interesting Properties That Make It Useful
Bismuth is one of four elements that expands as it solidifies (changes from a liquid to a solid). Most materials contract (have a smaller volume) as they solidify. Only four other elements behave like Bismuth, Gallium, Germanium,Antimony and Silicon.

This makes it useful in molds because the mold does not have to be filled completely since when it cools it will fill it up.

A Bismuth tin alloy is used for hunting bullets when lead is banned. It does have a tendency to shatter if used as pure Bismuth.

Video
Bismuth Explanation! I8NKKihPO2Y