Bismuth physiology

Some elements found in body tissues have no apparent physiological role, but have not been shown to be toxic. Examples are mbidium, strontium, titanium, niobium, germanium, and lanthanum. Other elements are toxic when found in greater than trace amounts, and sometimes in trace amounts. These latter elements include arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, silver, zirconium, beryUium, and thallium. Numerous other elements are used in medicine in nonnutrient roles. These include lithium, bismuth, antimony, bromine, platinum, and gold (Eig. 1). The interactions of mineral nutrients with... 

Willis determined the physiological level of bismuth in urine to be about 0.02 ppm by using the same procedure he described for lead 93). Devoto ls°) dry ashed 100 ml of urine and extracted bismuth with APDC into 5 ml of MIBK. 

The patient s skin, dried out by the phenol, provides an ideal physiological dressing. The doctor can, however, try applying some bismuth subgallate (with a cotton bud), as beads of serous fluid can often ooze unseen through the... 

Phosphorus exists in three forms, white, red and black (violet). The white modification is a waxy solid, very toxic and inflammable. Heated to 300-400°C without contact with air, white is transformed to the non-toxic red phosphorus. If white or red phosphorus is heated to 200°C at a pressure of 12 000 bar (1200 MPa), black phosphorus is formed. Even at low pressure it can however be obtained if red or white is heated at 350°C together with bismuth or mercury. Once formed black phosphorus is stable from low temperatures up to about 400°C. White phosphorus is prepared commercially by heating calcium phosphate with quartz and coke in an electric furnace. Most of the phosphorus produced is converted to phosphoric acid for use in making fertilizer. The element is important in plant and animal physiology and is a constituent of all animal bones, in the form of calcium phosphate. 

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