Room-temperature wet synthesis of bismuth(III) nitrate from bismuthinite: a thermodynamics-based communication

Abstract Bismuth(III) nitrate (Bi(NO3)3) has pharmaceutical applications and is usually produced from elemental bismuth dissolution in nitric acid (HNO3). However, if bismuthinite (Bi2S3), which is one of the main minerals of bismuth, is used to produce elemental bismuth, sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are produced, which are three of the air pollutants considered the most serious threats to human health and welfare. This communication takes a thermodynamic approach to examine and then suggests an environmentally friendlier procedure to produce Bi(NO3)3: the direct dissolution of Bi2S3 in 1 M HNO3 at room temperature (25 °C). Graphical Abstract