by: Eric 8th Grader at Mill Valley Middle School
"If you want that fishing lure to sink,, add lead and it will be gone in a wink."		Learn more about leads: properties, uses, history, lead poisoning, facts, lead in different languages, atomic structure, Bibliography and links, Glossary,
Properties: Lead is bluish-white and is highly malleable. It is a poor conductor of electricity and is a good sound absorber. By adding a small percentage of antimony or other metals lead may be strengthened.   Back To Top
Uses: Lead's effectiveness as an absorber, hence its poor conductivity of electricity, makes it useful for things like a radiation shield against X-rays and nuclear reactors. The heavy cloaks that hang over your shoulders are filled with lead to protect you from the X-rays. Lead does not corrode very easily but when exposed to air it will tarnish. Since lead is insoluble, it is used in paints to make them "permanent." Lead is too soft for structures, but is frequently used for alloys. T.V. sets use lead in their screens to shield the viewer from radiation. Lead is also used in soldering and the U.S. produces most of its lead for batteries. Lead is a cumulative poison.   Back To Top
History: Dating back to 5000 B.C., lead has been found in the forms of lead coins and sculptures in Egyptian tombs. Leads Latin name is plumbum and that is why its atomic symbol is Pb. It is an ancient metal and is even mentioned in Exodus. pipes from roman times exist today bearing the Roman insignia and are still in service as sewage drains. The word plumbing came from the plumbum that was used to make the Roman pipes. Some believe that the fall of Rome was due to its lead pipes causing many people to get lead poisoning. Plumbum's name origin is protos. Lead is found most often in galena ores.   Back To Top
Lead Poisoning: Lead is a cumulative poison, and through prolonged exposure lead can be fatal. the body retains small doses of lead and over the years these doses build up. It then disables the enzymes affecting the nervous system resulting in mental retardation or other nervous disorders. The habits and high metabolism of children make them most susceptible to lead poisoning. Old paints that contain lead peal off walls leaving chips. Children sometimes swallow and pick at the pick transferring the lead poisoning in small doses to the body.   Back To Top
Facts: Symbol: Pb Atomic Number: 82 Atomic Mass: 207.2 amu Melting Point: 621.5 ºF Boiling Point: 3164 ºF Number of Protons/Electrons: 82 Number of Neutrons: 125 Crystal Structure: Cubic Density @293 K: 11.34 g/ cm3 Color: bluish   Back To Top Lead in Different Languages: *Latin: Plumbum *Czech: Olovo *Croatian: Olovo *French: Plomb *German: Blei - s *Italian: Piombo *Norwegian: Bly *Portuguese: Chumbo *Spanish: Plomo *Swedish: Bly		Lead's Atomic Structure: Number of Energy Levels: 6 First Energy Level: 2 Second Energy Level: 8 Third Energy Level: 18 Fourth Energy Level: 32 Fifth Energy Level: 18 Sixth Energy Level: 4   Back To Top
Bibliography and Links: Web Sites: *Chemicool Periodic Table *Environmental Chemistry Periodic Table *Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements *Periodic Table *Periodic Table of the Elements *Web Elements Periodic Table *Visual Elements *The Comic Book Periodic Table of Elements *Boiling Water Reactor *Dictionary.com Books: Stwertka, Albert. A Guide to the Elements. New York, Oxford: oxford University Press, 1996 Knapp, Brian. Lead and Tin. Danbury: Atlantic Europe Publishing Company Limited, 1996 Image found at: http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/pb.html http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/html/lead.html http://www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/elements/lead/key.html http://www.animationfactory.com/cgi-bin/bloodhound.pl   Back To Top
Glossary: Conductivity: the quality or power of conducting, or of receiving and transmitting, as heat, electricity, etc.; as, the conductivity of a nerve. Nuclear reactor: X-rays: a. A relatively high-energy photon having a wavelength in the approximate range from 0.01 to 10 nanometers. b. A stream of such photons, used for their penetrating power in radiography, radiology, radiotherapy, and scientific research. Often used in the plural. Also called roentgen ray. Tarnish: to dull the luster of; discolor, especially by exposure to air or dirt. Exodus: The departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Galena: A gray mineral, essentially pbS, the principal ore of lead. Insoluble: cannot be dissolved. Enzymes: Any of numerous proteins or conjugated proteins produced by living organisms and functioning as biochemical catalysts. Metabolism: The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized. Malleable: Capable of being shaped or formed, as by hammering or pressure: a malleable metal. Atomic number: The number of protons in an atomic nucleus.
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	Created: March 29, 2002