Bismuth(III) oxide

[Andoz]

I'm thinking about getting some bismuth trioxide and trying to turn it into elemental bismuth (trying to start a element collection). Would this be very hard? Is there anyone out there that can put me on the right track for going about this?

Thanks for any help.

[YT2095]

personally I`d dissolve it in a suitable acid (probably Nitric) and then displace the Bismuth with another metal such as Magnesium or Zinc.

[hermanntrude]

or you could buy a pound of bismuth for $20

[insane_alien]

or you could buy a pound of bismuth for $20

 

wheres the fun in that though.

 

if you want an element collection you might as well do it so you can say 'yeah, i isolated every one of these myself'

[YT2095]

I know someone that extracted their Bismuth from Pepto-bismol indigestion medicine!

now That`s what I call taking things a bit Too far, but as proof-of-concept, Kudos to the guy.

[John Cuthber]

Define "very hard". I have done this on my kitchen gas cooker, in an old tin can, with ground up charcoal as a reducing agent and (here's the tricky bit) molten sodium hydroxide as a flux.

 

Do you know just how nasty NaOH is and how much less pleasant it is if you melt it?

If not then I'd not really reccomend this experiment. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I'd reccomend it anyway; YT2095's idea is a whole lot safer. Electrolytic reduction would probably work too.

[jdurg]

Yeah, I would HIGHLY suggest you not use molten NaOH. That stuff is horrifically nasty when in its solid state, but make it a liquid and you will have some nasty stuff you're working with. Anything organic that gets in there will typically be eaten up fairly quickly (especially flesh), aluminum will almost immediately react and generate hydrogen gas, and the small vapors that will rise from it can do some nasty damage to anything in the area, including you.

 

NaOH is one of those chemicals we all typically take for granted, but it is REALLY nasty stuff.

 

John - I'm guessing you were single at the time you did that? Can't imagine a wife/girlfriend being very happy with that.

[Andoz]

Thanks for the help. I what to try any isolate as many of the elements as I can but $20 pound sounds tempting considering I'm planing on buying 100 g of the oxide for $59 NZD!

So will dissolving the oxide 60 % nitric acid and adding magnesium/zinc powder ppt. the bismuth?

I've had some experience with molten NaOH and it wasn't the most friendly of chemicals, even washing up was pretty dodgy

[hermanntrude]

Thanks for the help. I what to try any isolate as many of the elements as I can but $20 pound sounds tempting considering I'm planing on buying 100 g of the oxide for $59 NZD!

So will dissolving the oxide 60 % nitric acid and adding magnesium/zinc powder ppt. the bismuth?

I've had some experience with molten NaOH and it wasn't the most friendly of chemicals, even washing up was pretty dodgy

 

I bought mine from a company called rotometals, and then crystallised it. it was a fantastic experiment... lots of fun.

[amit]

cant we reduce it using copper or some other easily available metal an hydrogen gas which could be collected from electrolysis of water. we can put all this stuff in sealed container and heat up a little (

carefully as hydyogen is involved i might result in some sort of accident)

[UC]

I bought mine from a company called rotometals, and then crystallised it. it was a fantastic experiment... lots of fun.

 

Funny, I have a pound of it in the drawer to my left from the very company...and 2lbs Zn, 1lb Cd, 4lbs Pb, 1lb Sb, 1lb Sn, plus some lead and zinc wire.

 

I see they've wisely stopped sawing the cadmium sticks into pieces. (I have half a stick) The bismuth is only $15/lb now, plus whatever shipping is.

 

$1US seems to be about $2NZD right now for reference.

Edited February 20, 2009 by UC