Bismuth(III) nitrate is a salt composed of
bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element; it has symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs nat ...
in its
cation
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
ic +3
oxidation state
In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical Electrical charge, charge of an atom if all of its Chemical bond, bonds to other atoms are fully Ionic bond, ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons ...
and
nitrate
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...
anions. The most common solid form is the
pentahydrate. It is used in the synthesis of other bismuth compounds. It is available commercially. It is the only
nitrate
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...
salt formed by a
group 15
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''Legend''
A pnictogen ( or ; from "to choke" and -gen, "generator") is any ...
element, indicative of bismuth's
metallic nature.
Preparation and reactions
Bismuth nitrate can be prepared by the reaction of bismuth metal and concentrated nitric acid.
: Bi + 4HNO
3 → Bi(NO
3)
3 + 2H
2O + NO
It dissolves in nitric acid but is readily hydrolysed to form a range of
oxynitrates when the pH increases above 0.
It is also soluble in acetone, acetic acid and glycerol but practically insoluble in ethanol and ethyl acetate.
Some uses in organic synthesis have been reported for example the nitration of aromatic compounds and selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides.
Bismuth nitrate forms insoluble complexes with
pyrogallol
Pyrogallol is an organic compound with the formula C6H3(OH)3. It is a water-soluble, white solid although samples are typically brownish because of its sensitivity toward oxygen. It is one of three isomers of benzenetriols.
Production and reac ...
and
cupferron and these have been the basis of
gravimetric methods of determining bismuth content.
[A.I. Vogel,(1951), Quantitative Inorganic analysis, (2d edition), Longmans Green and Co]
On heating bismuth nitrate can decompose forming
nitrogen dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula . One of several nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas. It is a paramagnetic, bent molecule with C2v point group symmetry. Industrially, is an intermediate in the s ...
, NO
2.
Structure
The crystal form is triclinic, and contains 10 coordinate Bi
3+, (three bidentate nitrate ions and four water molecules).
References
{{nitrates
Bismuth nitrate
Nitrates