Final answer:
Bismuth does not exhibit the same density properties as water around its melting point. Water's anomaly is due to hydrogen bonding, making it densest at 4°C and less dense upon freezing. Bismuth, however, is expected to expand and become less dense when it melts, following the general rule for other substances.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks if bismuth has a similar property to water where the liquid form is denser than the solid form around its melting point. Unlike water, which is densest at 4°C, substances generally expand upon heating, and this typically happens with bismuth as well. For water, the melting point is 0°C, where ice (solid state) and liquid water are in equilibrium.
Water's density reaches a maximum at approximately 4°C due to the formation of hydrogen bonds, which becomes less efficient as temperature decreases, making ice less dense than liquid water. However, for bismuth, it is expected that the liquid state will be less dense near its melting point of about 271°C, falling in line with the general behavior of substances expanding when transitioning from solid to liquid state.
Water is unique in that it reaches its highest density at about 4°C, both in its liquid and solid forms. Below 4°C, the density of water decreases as it freezes, due to the expansion caused by hydrogen bonding. Bismuth, on the other hand, does not exhibit the same behavior as water. The density of bismuth in its solid form is higher than its liquid form, even at high temperatures near its melting point of 271°C.