Lead - General Properties, Where It Comes From, How The Metal Is Obtained, How We Use It
latin name human atomic
A metallic element with atomic number 82. Symbol Pb, atomic weight 207.19, specific gravity 11.35, melting point 621.32°F (327.4°C), boiling point 3,191°F (1,755°C).
Lead is in column IVA of the periodic table. It has four naturally occurring stable isotopes, lead-204, lead-206, lead-207, and lead-208. The last three of these are all end products of one or another radioactive family.
Lead is one of the first elements known to human societies. It is described in some of the oldest books of the Old Testament and was widely used by some early civilizations. Examples of objects containing lead from fifth millennium Egyptian cultures have been found. The Greeks and Romans also used lead for the manufacture of a variety of tools and containers. Some experts claim that one reason for the decline of the Roman civilization was the extensive use of lead in the empire's water supply system. Lead is now known to have a variety of serious effects on the human nervous system, including diminished mental capacity.
Lead was originally known by its Latin name of plumbum, from which its modern chemical symbol (Pb) is derived. The Latin name is still preserved also in the common names for lead compounds, as in plumbic and plumbous chlorides.
Additional Topics
The raw material from which lead metal is produced is either a naturally occurring ore or, more commonly today, lead products returned for recycling. In the United States, more than half of all lead produced comes from recycled materials, especially recycled storage batteries. After initial treatment, the major steps by which lead is obtained from either ore or recycled material are very similar. …
Metallic lead is sometimes used in a pure or nearly pure form, usually because of its high density and ability to be bent and shaped. The metal is an efficient absorber of radiation and, for that reason, is commonly used as a shield for x rays, nuclear radiation, and other forms of radiation. Far more commonly, however, lead is alloyed with one or more other elements to produce a product with spec…
Lead is a reactive metal, but its reactivity is somewhat inhibited by the formation of an outer skin of protective compounds. For example, when a freshly cut piece of lead metal is exposed to the air, it quickly reacts with oxygen to form a thin outer layer of lead oxide. This outer layer then prevents further reaction between the metal and oxygen and other constituents of the air. A similar pheno…
Throughout most of human history, lead was used for a wide variety of applications with little or no appreciation of the serious health hazards it poses. Today, physiologists understand that the human body is able to excrete about 2 milligrams of lead efficiently each day, but that quantities in excess of that can cause serious health problems. Children are especially at risk for lead poisoning. T…
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