Electron Shell Configuration: [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2
Minimum oxidation number: -4
Maximum oxidation number: 4
Minimum common oxidation number: 0
Maximum common oxidation no: 4
Appearance & Characteristics
Structure:: fcc: face-centered cubic
Color: gray
Hardness: 1.5 mohs
Toxicity: ?
Characteristics: soft
Uses: batteries, solder, paints
Reactions
Reaction with air: mild, w/ht, =>PbO
Reaction with 6M HCl: none
Reaction with 15M HNO3: mild, =>NOx, Pb(NO3)2
Reaction with 6M NaOH: ?
Other Forms
Number of isotopes: 4
Oxide(s): PbO Pb3O4Pb2O3 PbO2
Hydride(s): PbH4
Chloride(s): PbCl2 PbCl4
Radius
Atomic Radius: 146 pm
Ionic radius (1- ion): pm
Ionic radius (1+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (2- ion): pm
Ionic radius (2+ ion): 133 pm
Ionic radius (3+ ion): pm
Conductivity
Thermal conductivity: 35.3 J/m-sec-deg
Electrical conductivity: 48.431 1/mohm-cm
Polarizability: 6.8 A^3
Abundance
Source: Galena (sulfide)
Relative abundance solar system: 0.498 log
Abundance earth's crust: 1.1 log
Estimated crustal abundance: 1.4×101 milligrams per kilogram
Estimated oceanic abundance: 3×10-5milligrams per liter
History
(Anglo-Saxon lead; L. plumbum) Long known, mentioned in Exodus. The alchemists believed lead to be the oldest metal and associated with the planet Saturn. Native lead occurs in nature, but is rare.
Sources
Lead is obtained chiefly from galena (PbS) by a roasting process. Anglesite, cerussite, and minim are other common lead minerals.
Properties
Lead is a bluish-white metal of bright luster. It is very soft, highly malleable, ductile, and a poor conductor of electricity. It is very resistant to corrosion; lead pipes bearing the insignia of Roman emperors, used as drains from the baths, are still in service. It is used in containers for corrosive liquids (such as sulfuric acid) and may be toughened by the addition of a small percentage of antimony or other metals.
Uses
The metal is very effective as a sound absorber, is used as a radiation shield around X-ray equipment and nuclear reactors, and is used to absorb vibration. White lead, the basic carbonate, sublimed white lead, chrome yellow, and other lead compounds are used extensively in paints, although in recent years the use of lead in paints has been drastically curtailed to eliminate or reduce health hazards.
Lead oxide is used in producing fine "crystal glass" and "flint glass" of a high index of refraction for achromatic lenses. The nitrate and the acetate are soluble salts. Lead salts such as lead arsenate have been used as insecticides, but their use in recent years has been practically eliminated in favor of less harmful organic compounds.
Forms
Natural lead is a mixture of four stable isotopes: 204Pb (1.48%), 206Pb (23.6%), 207Pb (22.6%), and 208Pb (52.3%). Lead isotopes are the end products of each of the three series of naturally occurring radioactive elements: 206Pb for the uranium series, 207Pb for the actinium series, and 208Pb for the thorium series. Twenty seven other isotopes of lead, all of which are radioactive, are recognized.
Its alloys include solder, type metal, and various antifriction metals. Great quantities of lead, both as the metal and as the dioxide, are used in storage batteries. Much metal also goes into cable covering, plumbing, ammunition, and in the manufacture of lead tetraethyl.
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