Organobismuth chemistry

Organobismuth chemistry is the chemistry of organometallic compounds containing a carbon to bismuth chemical bond. According to one reviewer, applications are rare even though bismuth and bismuth compounds are the least toxic among the heavy metals and are relatively cheap. The main bismuth oxidation states are Bi(III) and Bi(V) as in all higher group 15 elements. The energy of a bond to carbon in this group decreases in the order P > As > Sb > Bi. The first reported use of bismuth in organic chemistry was in oxidation of alcohols by Challenger in 1934 (using Ph₃Bi(OH)₂). Knowledge about methylated species of bismuth in environmental and biological media is very limited.