Student Resource Center College Edition Document - 0 views
-
Lead—a metal that archaeological discoveries prove was used at least 5,000 years ago—is the heaviest element in Group 14 of the periodic table, a group often known as the carbon family. It is a metallic element with atomic number 82, with symbol Pb, atomic weight 207.19, specific gravity 11.35, melting point 621.32°F (327.4°C), and boiling point 3,191°F (1,755°C).
-
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.
-
Lead is a heavy, ductile, soft, grayish solid. It can be cast and fabricated easily and has the unusual ability to absorb sound and other forms of vibration. Although it is dissolved by dilute nitric acid, it tends to be resistant to other forms of acid solutions.
- ...2 more annotations...
-
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.
-
More than half of all the lead used in the United States, for example, goes to the production of lead storage batteries. The positive plates, made of lead(IV) oxide, and the negative plates, made of spongy lead, are both made from an alloy containing 91% lead and 9% antimony. Over 80% of this lead is now recovered and recycled as a source of lead metal.