page_title: Bismuth(III) oxide
section_title: Reactions
hierarchical_section_title: Bismuth(III) oxide / Reactions
caption_attribution_description: English: Models of the structure of bismuth oxide
context_page_description: Bismuth(III) oxide is perhaps the most industrially important compound of bismuth. It is also a common starting point for bismuth chemistry. It is found naturally as the mineral bismite and sphaerobismoite, but it is usually obtained as a by-product of the smelting of copper and lead ores. Dibismuth trioxide is commonly used to produce the "Dragon's eggs" effect in fireworks, as a replacement of red lead.
context_section_description: Oxidation with ammonium persulfate and dilute caustic soda gives bismuth tetroxide. The same product can be obtained by using other oxidizing agents such as potassium ferricyanide and concentrated caustic potash solution.
  Electrolysis of bismuth(III) oxide in hot concentrated alkali solution gives a scarlet red precipitate of bismuth(V) oxide. Bismuth(III) oxide reacts with mineral acids to give the corresponding bismuth(III) salts.
  
  Reaction with acetic anhydride and oleic acid gives bismuth trioleate.
  Atmospheric carbon dioxide or CO₂ dissolved in water readily reacts with Bi₂O₃ to generate bismuth subcarbonate. Bismuth oxide is considered a basic oxide, which explains the high reactivity with CO₂. However, when acidic cations such as Si(IV) are introduced within the structure of the bismuth oxide, the reaction with CO₂ do not occur.
caption: (a) Sillén model; vacancies ordered along<111>,[6] (b) Gattow model; vacancies completely disordered in oxygen sub-lattice, with each oxygen site having 75% occupancy,[7] (c) Willis model; oxygen atoms displaced from regular 8c sites (for example, the atom marked A in (b)) along<111> to 32f sites. The Bi3+ ions labelled 1–4 in (c) correspond to those labelled 1–4 in (b).[8]
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