Lead

Lead, 82Pb
Lead
Pronunciation/lɛd/ (led)
Appearancemetallic gray
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Pb)
  • [206.14207.94][1]
  • 207.2±1.1 (abridged)[2]
Lead in the periodic table
Hydrogen Helium
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon
Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton
Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon
Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon
Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson
Sn

Pb

Fl
thalliumleadbismuth
Atomic number (Z)82
Groupgroup 14 (carbon group)
Periodperiod 6
Block  p-block
Electron configuration[Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2
Electrons per shell2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 4
Physical properties
Phase at STPsolid
Melting point600.61 K ​(327.46 °C, ​621.43 °F)
Boiling point2022 K ​(1749 °C, ​3180 °F)
Density (at 20 °C)11.348 g/cm3[3]
when liquid (at m.p.)10.66 g/cm3
Heat of fusion4.77 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization179.5 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity26.650 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T (K) 978 1088 1229 1412 1660 2027
Atomic properties
Oxidation statescommon: +2, +4
−4,[4] −2,? −1,? 0,[5] +1,? +3?
ElectronegativityPauling scale: 2.33 (in +4), 1.87 (in +2)
Ionization energies
  • 1st: 715.6 kJ/mol
  • 2nd: 1450.5 kJ/mol
  • 3rd: 3081.5 kJ/mol
Atomic radiusempirical: 175 pm
Covalent radius146±5 pm
Van der Waals radius202 pm
Spectral lines of lead
Other properties
Natural occurrenceprimordial
Crystal structureface-centered cubic (fcc) (cF4)
Lattice constant
a = 494.99 pm (at 20 °C)[3]
Thermal expansion28.73×10−6/K (at 20 °C)[3]
Thermal conductivity35.3 W/(m⋅K)
Electrical resistivity208 nΩ⋅m (at 20 °C)
Magnetic orderingdiamagnetic
Molar magnetic susceptibility−23.0×10−6 cm3/mol (at 298 K)[6]
Young's modulus16 GPa
Shear modulus5.6 GPa
Bulk modulus46 GPa
Speed of sound thin rod1190 m/s (at r.t.) (annealed)
Poisson ratio0.44
Mohs hardness1.5
Brinell hardness38–50 MPa
CAS Number7439-92-1
History
Namingpossibly from a PIE root meaning “to flow”, for its low melting point
DiscoveryMiddle East (7000 BCE)
Symbol"Pb": from Latin plumbum
Isotopes of lead
Main isotopes[7] Decay
Isotope abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct
202Pb synth 5.25×104 y ε 202Tl
204Pb 1.40% stable
205Pb synth 1.70×107 y ε 205Tl
206Pb 24.1% stable
207Pb 22.1% stable
208Pb 52.4% stable
209Pb trace 3.235 h β 209Bi
210Pb trace 22.2 y β 210Bi
α 206Hg
211Pb trace 36.16 min β 211Bi
212Pb trace 10.627 h β 212Bi
214Pb trace 27.06 min β 214Bi
Isotopic abundances vary greatly by sample[1]

Lead (/lɛd/ ) is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin plumbum) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal, denser than most common materials. Lead is soft, malleable, and has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, it appears shiny gray with a bluish tint, but tarnishes to dull gray on exposure to air. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element, and three of its isotopes are endpoints of major nuclear decay chains of heavier elements.

Lead is a relatively unreactive post-transition metal. Its weak metallic character is shown by its amphoteric behavior: lead and lead oxides react with both acids and bases, and it tends to form covalent bonds. Lead compounds usually occur in the +2 oxidation state rather than the +4 state common in lighter members of the carbon group, with exceptions mostly limited to organolead compounds. Like the lighter members of the group, lead can bond with itself, forming chains and polyhedral structures.

Easily extracted from its ores, lead was known to prehistoric peoples in the Near East. Galena is its principal ore and often contains silver, encouraging its widespread extraction and use in ancient Rome. Production declined after the fall of Rome and did not reach similar levels until the Industrial Revolution. Lead played a role in developing the printing press, as movable type could be readily cast from lead alloys.[8] In 2014, annual global production was about ten million tonnes, over half from recycling. Lead's high density, low melting point, ductility, and resistance to oxidation, together with its abundance and low cost, supported its extensive use in construction, plumbing, batteries, ammunition, weights, solders, pewter, fusible alloys, lead paints, leaded gasoline, and radiation shielding.

Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones. It damages the nervous system, interferes with biological enzymes, and can cause neurological disorders ranging from behavioral problems to brain damage. It also affects cardiovascular and renal systems. Lead's toxicity was noted by ancient Greek and Roman writers, but became widely recognized in Europe in the late 19th century.

  1. ^ a b "Standard Atomic Weights: Lead". CIAAW. 2020.
  2. ^ Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (4 May 2022). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.
  3. ^ a b c Arblaster, John W. (2018). Selected Values of the Crystallographic Properties of Elements. Materials Park, Ohio: ASM International. ISBN 978-1-62708-155-9.
  4. ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 28. doi:10.1016/C2009-0-30414-6. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
  5. ^ Pb(0) carbonyls have been observered in reaction between lead atoms and carbon monoxide; see Ling, Jiang; Qiang, Xu (2005). "Observation of the lead carbonyls PbnCO (n=1–4): Reactions of lead atoms and small clusters with carbon monoxide in solid argon". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 122 (3): 034505. 122 (3): 34505. Bibcode:2005JChPh.122c4505J. doi:10.1063/1.1834915. ISSN 0021-9606. PMID 15740207.
  6. ^ Weast, Astle & Beyer 1983, p. E110.
  7. ^ Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3) 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
  8. ^ Theodore Low De Vinne 1899, pp. 9–36.