B I S 



B I S 



h -wm ; called by many others the Alexandrian bay, er 

 lanrus AlfKaiidne, 



BISMARCK, in Geography, a town of Germany, in 

 the circle cf Upper Saxony, and Old Mark of Braiiden- 

 biirsjh ; i 2 miles weft of Stendal. 



BISMEO, or Bixmea, a town of Africa, in the king- 

 dom of Aliricrs, 25 rr.iles weft from Algiers. 



BISMILLAH, in the Mahonutan Cuftoms, a folemn 

 form, viz. in the name of the mojl merciful God, conftantly 

 ■placed at the beginning of their books and writings in gene- 

 ral, as a peculiar mark or diftinguiftiing characleriftic of 

 their relijjion ; it being counted an impiety to omit it. 

 ■ The Jews, for the fame purpofe, make ufe of the form, 

 " in the name of the Lord, or, " in the name of the great 

 God." Sale. 



BisMiLLAH is alfo ufed among the Arabs, as a word of 

 invitation to eat. An Ai-ah prince will frequently fit down 

 to eat i 1 theftreet before hiso.vn door, and call all thatpaf?, 

 even b -g^ars, by this word, who do not fail to come and fit 

 <';o.vn ti eat with hi.-n^ for the Arabs are great levellers, and 

 fet ever)' body on a footing with thcmfeives. Pocock's 

 Egvpt, &c. p. 483. 



BISMUTH, /r//''na/BW, Wallerius ; IVifmuth, or Bifmulh, 

 Germ. ; Bfmuth, Fr. ; Plumbum cinertum, Antimonium fcmi- 

 iiiiium, tin-glafs, of the older chemifts. 



Bifmuth is a brittle metal, of a reddiih white colour, and 

 foliated fniifturc, is fufible at nearly the fame temperature 

 with had, foluble with cafe in nitric acid, and precipitable 

 from it iu the form of a white oxyd by the addition of 

 pure water. 



§ I . Ores of Bifmulh. 



So. I. Native Bfmuth. GeiHegen Wifmiilh. 



Tlie colour of this mineral is lilver-white, with a (light 

 tinge of red, freqa»ntly exhibiting an iridefcent appearance 

 on its furface. It occurs very rarely in mafs, being gene- 

 rally di.Ttmiaated, or inverting ; it is alfo met with feathcr- 

 fhaped, or reticular, or in lamell£ of a reftangular or trian- 

 giilar :hape, either folitary, or heaped upon each other. It 

 exhibits a metallic luftre of conhderable brilliancy. Its 

 fradure is perfectly foliited, or b-oad ftriated. It is femi- 

 duAile, and breaks with fome difficulty into irregular, fome- 

 what 'liunt-edged fragments. Sp. grav. according to Kir- 

 wan, =:: 9.51. 



Native Bifmuth is fufible at a vei-y moderate temperature, 

 t)ften by the htat of a common ca idle ; when expofed to 

 the action of the blowpipe on charcoal, it volatilizes in the 

 forn of a white vapour, not unfrcquently accompanied with 

 an arfenical fmell. It d'fTolves very ealily, and with effer- 

 vefcence, in cold nitric acid ; and is precipitable in the form 

 of a white powder, on the addition of pure water. 



The only two fiibftances, with which native bifmuth is 

 Kable to be confounded, are the fiilphuret of bifmuth and 

 <i;ndritical filver ; the former of thefe, however, is not folu- 

 ble with cffervefcence in cold nitric acid; and the latter may 

 be diftinguifhed by its colour and duclility. 



Bifmuth is one of the moft partially diffufed metals 

 iiitherto known ; and it is clucfly found native, accom- 

 panied with kupfernickcl, white and grey cobalt, black 

 blende, native filvcr, and rarely galena. Its ganguc is 

 quartz, calcareous fpar, or baroftlenite ; and it has hitherto 

 been found only in veins in primitive mountains. 



It is found at joachtmiUial, in Bohemia; at Freyberg, 

 Annaberg, &c. in Saxony ; in Sweden, Tranfylvania, and 

 Biitany. 



Sp. 2. Sulphuretted Bifmuth. JVifmuth ghmzt Emmerling. 

 ifmulk fulphure, Han"'. 



The colour of thi« fabllance is between lead-grey and tin- 



white ; but OB the furface it is ufually yeliowiffi or iridef- 

 cent. It is found either lamellar and in mafs, or difTcnii. 

 nated, or in fmall acicular cryftals. Its prin-.ilive figure, ac- 

 cording to Hauy, is that of a quadrangular prifm. Its in. 

 tcrnal Juftre is metallic and very brilii.'.nt ; its iraflure \i 

 broad or narrow ftriated, or foliated like galena. Sp. gr. 

 according to Kirwan, =6. i^i. It ftains the fingers in a 

 flight degree ; and when reduced to powder, is of a gliller- 

 ing black. 



When expofed to the blowpipe, it melts eafily, giving 

 out a fulphureous odour and a blue flame, and is alraoft 

 entirely volatilized before it can be brought to the m.etallic 

 Hate. There has been no ven^ accurate analyfis m.ade of 

 this ore ; but from the experiments of Sage and La Peyroufe 

 it appears to contain about 60 per cent, of bifmuth, 36 of 

 fulphur, and a little iron. There is fome external rcfcm- 

 blance between the lamellar variety of this mineral and 

 galena ; but the fuperior fufibihty of the former is an eafy 

 and infallible charafteriftic. 



Sulphuret of bifiruth is very rare ; and, where it occuif, 

 is always accompanying native bifmuth. It is found at 

 Joachimfthal, in Bohemia ; Altenberg and Johann-Georgtn- 

 lladt, in Saxony ; and at Baftnas, near Riddarhytla, ia 

 Sweden. 



Sp. 3. Oxyd of Bifmuth. Bifmu'h cehre, YUrvr. Wifmuth- 

 ocher, Emmerling. Bifmuth o^-yde, Hauy. 



This mineral is of a greenifh yellow colour, paffing int« 

 afh-grey, or ftraw colour. It is fometimes found in mafs, 

 but more commonly diifeminated or inverting. It is opaque, 

 and poflciks a flight degree of internal luftre. Its fradure 

 is fine-grained, uneven, or earthy. Sp. grav. ccnfiderable, 

 but has not yet been accurately afcertained. It is either 

 friable, or of the confiftcnce of chalk, but occafionally gives 

 fire with fteel, on account of the particles of quartz with, 

 which it is mixed. 



When expofed to the aftion of the blowpipe on charcoal. 

 It is very eafily reducible to the metallic ftate. It is foluble 

 in nitric acid without effcrvefcence, and precipitable for the 

 mort part by the addition of water. 



Oxyd of bifmuth is an extremely rare mineral. It has 

 hitherto only been found at Schnecberg, in Saxony, accom- 

 panying native bifmuth ; in the Black Foreft mines, in 

 Swabia ; and at Joachimfthal, in Bohemia. It is often con- 

 founded with the green earthy iron ore ; but may be at once 

 dilUnguifhed by its eafy reduction before the blowpipe. 

 Emmeriing, vol. ii. p. 434, &c. Wiedenmann, p. 887. 

 Brochant, v. 2. p. 343. Hauy, t. 4. p. 1 84. Kirwan, 

 vol. ii. p. 263. 



§ 2. ./Iffay and Analyfis of Bifmuth Ores. 



Sulphur end iron are the only fubftances that have been 

 as yet detefted in combination with this metal, as far a» 

 can be infened from very imperfect aiialyfes of the preced- 

 ing ores. But Klaproth, in his examination of the bifmuthic 

 filver ore from Shapbach (Analyt. Eff. vol. i. p. 556.), 

 found it to be a con.hination of lead, filver, iron, copper, 

 and fulphur, with bifmuth j and from the experiments of 

 this able chcmift is deduced the following general method 

 of anr.lyfing ttie ores of bifmuth. 



Having reduced the ore to a tolerably fine powder, pour 

 upon it, in a capacious flafic, five times its weight of nitric 

 acid previoufly diluted with one third of water. The acid 

 will begin to acl immediately, without the affiftance of 

 heat ; nitrous gas will be difengagcd in g^'-eat quantity ; and 

 the iolution will affume a greenlih yellow colour. V.^hen 

 tlie acid has taken up as much it can, or nearly fo, pour it 

 off, and digeft the undiffolved refidue in a moderate heat, 

 with equal part* of nitric acid and water, renewing the 

 3 K. 3 menftruum 



