What is the electron configuration of bismuth?

Bismuth (Bi, Z=83) has the ground-state electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³. The 83 electrons fill subshells across six principal shells.

What is the noble-gas shorthand for bismuth?

The condensed notation is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³, where [Xe] represents the 54-electron xenon core (1s² through 5p⁶).

How many valence electrons does bismuth have?

Bismuth has 5 valence electrons: 2 in 6s and 3 in 6p. This matches its Group 15 (VA) membership in the periodic table.

Why does bismuth commonly show +3 and +5 oxidation states?

The three 6p electrons are readily lost to give Bi³⁺. The inert pair effect (relativistic stabilization of 6s²) makes losing the 6s pair energetically costly, so Bi⁵⁺ is much less common and more oxidizing than expected from group trends.

What block and period is bismuth in?

Bismuth is in Period 6, Group 15 (VA), and belongs to the p-block. It is classified as a post-transition metal (sometimes called a metalloid in older texts, but IUPAC now lists it as a metal).

What is the inert pair effect in bismuth?

Relativistic effects contract and stabilize the 6s orbital in heavy elements like bismuth. The 6s² electron pair becomes less available for bonding — this is the "inert pair effect." It explains why Bi³⁺ is far more stable than Bi⁵⁺, unlike lighter Group 15 congeners where the +5 state is common.

How does lanthanide contraction affect bismuth?

The 14 f electrons added in the lanthanides provide poor shielding, so the nuclear charge increase contracts the atomic radius. This makes bismuth's 6s and 6p subshells more compact and energetically deeper than simple extrapolation from lighter periods would predict.

Bismuth Electron Configuration

Name: Bismuth Electron Configuration
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Author: Nham Vu

Interactive reference for bismuth's electron configuration ([Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³), orbital box diagram, quantum numbers for valence electrons, and key atomic properties.

Z = 83 Bi Bismuth

Bismuth — Electron Configuration

Atomic number 83 · Post-transition metal · Period 6, Group 15 · p-block

[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³ 83 electrons 5 valence e⁻ 3 unpaired

Subshell Breakdown

Subshell	Type	Electrons	Max Capacity	Notation
1s	s orbital, n=1	2	2	1s²
2s	s orbital, n=2	2	2	2s²
2p	p orbitals, n=2	6	6	2p⁶
3s	s orbital, n=3	2	2	3s²
3p	p orbitals, n=3	6	6	3p⁶
3d	d orbitals, n=3	10	10	3d¹⁰
4s	s orbital, n=4	2	2	4s²
4p	p orbitals, n=4	6	6	4p⁶
4d	d orbitals, n=4	10	10	4d¹⁰
4f	f orbitals, n=4	14	14	4f¹⁴
5s	s orbital, n=5	2	2	5s²
5p	p orbitals, n=5	6	6	5p⁶
5d	d orbitals, n=5	10	10	5d¹⁰
6s	s orbital, n=6	2	2	6s²
6p	p orbitals, n=6 (valence)	3	6	6p³
Total		83

Noble-Gas Shorthand

[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³

[Xe] = 54-electron xenon core (1s² through 5p⁶).

Valence Subshells

6s² 6p³

5 valence electrons total; 3 unpaired in 6p (Hund's rule).

Shell Fill Summary

Shell 1 (n=1) — 1s² 2 / 2 electrons (100%)

Shell 2 (n=2) — 2s² 2p⁶ 8 / 8 electrons (100%)

Shell 3 (n=3) — 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 18 / 18 electrons (100%)

Shell 4 (n=4) — 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 32 / 32 electrons (100%)

Shell 5 (n=5) — 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 18 / 50 electrons (36%)

Shell 6 (n=6) — 6s² 6p³ 5 / 72 electrons (7%)

Shell 5 can hold up to 50 electrons (5s + 5p + 5d + 5f), but bismuth only uses 18 of those slots. Shell 6 can hold 72 electrons; bismuth places only 5 there.

Orbital Box Diagram — Valence Subshells

Inner shells (1s through 5p) are fully filled. Only the outermost subshells are shown here in box notation.

10 electrons across 5 orbitals — filled

2 electrons (paired) — inert pair (relativistically stabilized)

3 unpaired electrons (one per orbital, all spin up) — Hund's rule

Each box is one orbital. Up arrow = spin +½; down arrow = spin −½. The three 6p electrons each occupy separate orbitals before any pairing (Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity). The 6s² pair is relativistically contracted and behaves as the "inert pair" in bismuth chemistry.

Quantum Numbers — Outermost Shell Electrons (6s and 6p)

Electron #	n	l	mₗ	mₛ	Subshell	Note
78	6	0	0	+½	6s	inert pair (1 of 2)
79	6	0	0	−½	6s	inert pair (2 of 2)
80	6	1	-1	+½	6p	valence, unpaired
81	6	1	0	+½	6p	valence, unpaired
82	6	1	1	+½	6p	valence, unpaired

n = principal; l = azimuthal (0→s, 1→p); mₗ = magnetic; mₛ = spin. Electrons 1–77 fill shells 1–5 completely.

Summary

Interactive reference for bismuth's electron configuration ([Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³), orbital box diagram, quantum numbers for valence electrons, and key atomic properties.

How it works

Bismuth has 83 electrons distributed by the Aufbau principle, starting from 1s and filling upward.
The filled xenon core (54 electrons) is abbreviated as [Xe] in the noble-gas shorthand.
After [Xe], the 4f subshell accepts 14 electrons and the 5d subshell accepts 10 electrons.
Two electrons enter 6s, completing the inner valence s subshell.
Three electrons then occupy 6p — one per orbital — following Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity.
The noble-gas notation [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p³ captures all 29 electrons beyond the xenon core.
Use the tabs to switch between the subshell table, orbital box diagram, and element facts.

Use cases

Quick homework or exam reference for bismuth's electron configuration.
Visualize how the 4f and 5d subshells are fully filled before the 6p valence electrons.
Understand why bismuth has three unpaired valence electrons and common +3 and +5 oxidation states.
Compare bismuth to lighter Group 15 elements (N, P, As, Sb) across the pnictogen family.
Verify the quantum numbers for each of bismuth's six outermost electrons.
Teaching aid for relativistic effects — bismuth's 6s² "inert pair" explains its chemistry.
Cross-reference bismuth's configuration with its neighbors lead (Pb, Z=82) and polonium (Po, Z=84).
Support coursework on lanthanide contraction and its influence on 6th-period element properties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-08 · Reviewed by Nham Vu