Characteristics:

Crystalline, brittle metal, with reddish tinge. Soluble in nitric and hydrochloric acids. Highly diamagnetic (mass susceptibility -1.35 X 106). Expands 3.3% on solidification.  Electrical resistivity higher in solid than in liquid state. Extrudable at 437 oF, not fabricable at room temperature. Brinell hardness 7. Thermal conductivity is lowest of all metals except mercury. On heating it burns to form the oxide 

Applications:

BISMUTH could be used in different fields, according to its purity. Bismuth has a low thermal conductivity and is both stable and non-toxic. These properties make the metal an ideal substitute for lead in everything from pipes and bullets to fishing weights and sprinkler triggers. High purity bismuth is used to synthesize pharmaceutical chemicals, superconductive ceramics and oxide crystals for the production of bismuth ortho-germanate crystals.