The coordination around the Bi atom of the title compound, l-3-hydroxy
-4H-pyran-4-onato-O-3,O-4)bismuth(III), [Bi(C7H7O3)(3)], can be descri
bed as a distorted pentagonal bipyramid with five of the six coordinat
ed O atoms approximately in the equatorial plane and the axial positio
ns occupied by the sixth coordinated O atom and a stereoactive lone pa
ir. This is a rare example of a six-coordinate Bi-III compound with a
stereoactive lone pair.