Discovery date : Ancient
Discovered by: -
Origin of the name: The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for the metal, 'lead'
Allotropes :
~>LEAD is a chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and has a relatively low melting point.
| FACT BOX | |||
| Group | 14 | Melting point | 327.462°C, 621.432°F, 600.612 K |
| Period | 6 | Boiling point | 1749°C, 3180°F, 2022 K |
| Block | p | Density (g cm−3) | 11.3 |
| Atomic number | 82 | Relative atomic mass | 207.2 |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 208Pb |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f145d106s26p2 | CAS number | 7439-92-1 |
| ChemSpider ID | 4509317 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database | |
Lead has been mined for more than 6,000 years, and the metal and its compounds have been used throughout history. Small lead nuggets have been found in pre-Columbian Peru, Yucatan, and Guatemala.
The Greeks mined lead on a large scale from 650 onwards and not only knew how to obtain the metal but how to covert this to white lead. Because of its superb covering power, this was the basis of paints for more than 2000 years, until the middle of the last century.
The Romans employed lead on a large scale, mining it mainly in Spain and Britain, and using it also for water pipes, coffins, pewter tableware, and to debase their silver coinage. While its mining declined in the Dark Ages it reappeared in Medieval times and found new uses, such as pottery glazes, bullets, and printing type. In the last century it was a fuel additive.