• Question: what causes bismuth to be multicoloured?

    Asked by anon-182506 on 25 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Joanne Sharpe

      Joanne Sharpe answered on 25 Jun 2018:

      It looks really cool doesn’t it? Bismuth metal itself is silvery white, but the surface oxidises and the different colours are due to the thickness of the oxidised part!

    • Photo: Lauren Burns

      Lauren Burns answered on 25 Jun 2018:

      Bismuth is one of my favourite elements. It is just the coolest – the colours and, for me, the shape of it! It looks like one of MC Escher’s paintings – Ascending and Descending. Absolutely amazing <3

Comments