Bismuth is a relatively rare metal found in the earth's crust almost never occurring in the native state. It is usually associated with copper, lead, tin, wolfram, silver, and gold ores.
Bismuth metal is soft, heavy, brittle, and silvery white with a pinkish tinge. It melts at 271°C (520F) and boils at 1560°C (2840F). Has an specific gravity of 10.067 on melting point but expands by 3.32% on solidification. Its atomic number is 83 and the atomic weight 209. It has the lowest thermal conductivity of all metals, except mercury. Its electrical conductivity is greater in the solid than in the liquid state.
It is mostly found in Mexico and also in Australia, Bolivia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Peru, United States and Yugoslavia. Bolivia and China are the only lands where native Bismuth is available, but its exploitation costs can be high.