Bismuth hydroxide () is a non-fully characterised chemical compound 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 ...

. It is produced as white flakes when alkali is added to a solution of a bismuth salt and is usually described as bismuth oxide hydrate or bismuth hydrate. Upon heating to 400°C, bismuth hydroxide decomposes to

bismuth(III) oxide Bismuth(III) oxide is a compound of bismuth, and a common starting point for bismuth chemistry. It is found naturally as the mineral bismite (monoclinic) and sphaerobismoite (tetragonal, much more rare), but it is usually obtained as a by-produc ...

Uses

Bismuth hydrate is a component used in milk of bismuth which is used in

gastrointestinal disorders Gastrointestinal diseases (abbrev. GI diseases or GI illnesses) refer to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum; and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, ...

as a protective agent.

Aqueous ammonia Ammonia solution, also known as ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide, ammoniacal liquor, ammonia liquor, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or (inaccurately) ammonia, is a solution of ammonia in water. It can be denoted by the symbols NH3(aq). Although ...

reacts with bismuth(III) ions to precipitate white bismuth hydroxide. It is used as an absorbent, and in the hydrolysis of

ribonucleic acid Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins ( messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyr ...

. It is also used in the isolation of

plutonium Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...

from irradiated

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

References

Bismuth compounds {{gastrointestinal-drug-stub