Bismuth
Discovered : by an unknown alchemist in the 15th century

Origin : The name comes from the German 'weisse Masse' (white mass), which became Latinised as bisemutum.

Description :

A high-density, silvery, pink-tinged metal, but not used as such as it is too brittle. Basic bismuth carbonate is taken in tablet or liquid form for indigestion as ‘bismuth mixture’. Bismuth(III) chloride oxide (BiClO) is used in cosmetics to give a pearly effect.

Image :

Alchemical symbol and apparatus. See also chemsoc timeline
Click here to see larger version of this image.