Bismuth (Bi)

Element 83 · post-transition metal · group 15, period 6

• 83 protons
• 5 valence e−
• +3
• p-block

Properties

Electron configuration of bismuth

Orbitals fill from the lowest energy upward. Writing that out for bismuth gives 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³, which is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 6s2 6p3 in plain text.

Everything up to Xe is the same as in that noble gas, so it is usually abbreviated to [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³. The part outside the bracket is what does the chemistry.

Bismuth ion charge

Bismuth commonly forms ions with a charge of +3.

It has 5 valence electrons, so it is 3 short of a full octet and 5 above an empty outer shell. An atom takes whichever route is shorter, which is why the charge comes out as it does.

Common questions

How many valence electrons does bismuth have?

Bismuth has 5 valence electrons. For a main-group element the count is the group number minus 10, and bismuth is in group 15.

What is the electron configuration of bismuth?

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 6s2 6p3, or [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p3 written from the previous noble gas. Orbitals fill lowest energy first.

What is the charge of bismuth?

Bismuth commonly forms ions with a charge of +3. With 5 valence electrons it is 3 short of an octet and 5 above an empty shell, so it takes whichever route is shorter.

How many protons, electrons and neutrons does bismuth have?

A neutral bismuth atom has 83 protons and 83 electrons. Its standard atomic weight is 208.98, so the most common isotope has about 126 neutrons.

Nearby elements

• Antimony (Sb)above it in group 15
• Moscovium (Mc)below it in group 15
• Lead (Pb)one place to its left
• Polonium (Po)one place to its right
• Nitrogen (N)same group, same valence count
• Phosphorus (P)same group, same valence count

See the ionic charge of every element →