Is Bismuth a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Bismuth (Bi) is a metal — a real metal — softer and lower-melting than the transition metals, but still lustrous and conductive. It sits in group 15, period 6, and is a solid at room temperature.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Bismuth. The answer sits at the top in bold; scroll for the working, the shell-by-shell breakdown and the two questions students ask most. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Bismuth page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Bismuth is a metal. Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (like Bismuth) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Bismuth checks every metal box — placed in the post-transition metal family of the table.
Bismuth's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Post-transition metal | — |
| Phase at room temp | solid | metals are usually solid |
| Block | p-block | — |
| Group | 15 | — |
| Period | 6 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole post-transition metal family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Bismuth with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Bismuth a good conductor of electricity?
Yes — like other metals, Bismuth conducts electricity and heat well, thanks to its sea of free electrons.
Can a gas be a metal — like Bismuth?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Bismuth is a solid, and that says nothing against its metallic character.