Does bismuth gain or lose electrons?

Answer 1

yes it does,it is a metal and metals lose electrons.

Answer 2

Based on the information from the link below, the most common oxidation states for Bismuth are 3 and 5.

Since these are positive numbers, it implies a common loss of electrons.

Likewise, Bismuth is a metal, based on its position on the periodic table relative to the "Staircase line," one can predict that it will want to for a cation instead of an anion most of the time.