What is lead? Hey Engineering Lovers, my name is Gustavo Pereira and today we are going to talk about lead And before continuing, if you are watching this video and have not subscribed, take the opportunity now to subscribe, leave your like and activate the bell , you will be part of the largest community of engineering lovers on youtube. But then, what is lead?
Lead is a chemical element that belongs to the group of metals, with the symbol Pb in its chemical representation. It is a heavy metal, soft, malleable and resistant to corrosion. Lead has been known since antiquity and has been widely used in various applications throughout history due to its physical and chemical properties.
One of the main characteristics of lead is its high density, which makes it useful in different contexts. It is used, for example, in the manufacture of lead-acid batteries, where it is used both in the anode or positive pole and in the cathode or negative pole. These batteries are commonly used in our cars.
Also, lead was widely used in the construction industry. In the past, it was common to find lead pipe in plumbing systems because of its durability and ease of molding. However, due to the health risks associated with lead exposure, its use in this application has been largely discontinued.
Okay, but where do I find lead on the periodic table? Lead can be found on the periodic table in the elements in group 14, also known as the carbon group and has atomic number 82. Lead is considered a low-reactive metal.
It is stable in atmospheric air, not easily oxidized. However, when exposed to humid environments containing corrosive substances such as acids, layers of lead oxide (PbO) can form on the surface, protecting the metal from further corrosion. Lead is an element that mainly forms ionic and covalent bonds.
It can lose or share electrons to achieve electronic stability. Lead forms several oxides, with lead II oxide (PbO) being the most common. Another important oxide is lead oxide 4 (PbO₂), also known as lead dioxide, which is used in fuel cells and in the manufacture of special glasses.
Lead forms a wide variety of compounds with other elements, such as lead halides, lead sulfate, lead nitrate, and many others. An important property to be mentioned is its high toxicity. When absorbed by the human body, it can cause serious damage to health, especially to the central nervous system, kidneys and hematological system.
For this reason, it is critical to take appropriate safety measures and control exposure to lead. Okay, but wait, I see you talking about lead, but the symbol is PB, shouldn't it be CH? The chemical symbol for lead on the periodic table, "Pb", is derived from its Latin name, called "plumbum".
The term "plumbum" has been used for centuries to refer to lead. The origin of this term dates back to ancient times, when lead was widely used in the manufacture of water pipes. And where is lead found and how is it produced?
Lead is a relatively common element in the earth's crust, with an average abundance of about 14 parts per million (ppm). It is mainly found in the form of minerals, the most common being galena and cerussite. Mining is the main method for obtaining lead.
The process involves extracting lead ore from the earth and then concentrating it. The ore is crushed and ground into fine particles, forming a pulp that is subjected to several stages of flotation and gravity separation. After the ore is concentrated, it goes through a process called smelting.
In this process, concentrated lead ore is heated in special furnaces, usually with the addition of coke (carbon) as a reducing agent. Intense heat causes lead sulfide to be reduced to metallic lead and also helps to remove impurities such as sulfur. The liquid lead resulting from smelting is then purified through additional processes such as electrolytic refining.
or top process lead refining. These processes remove remaining impurities such as copper, silver, gold and antimony to obtain high purity lead. After purification, the lead is cast into ingots or other convenient forms for storage and transportation.
From these ingots, lead can be used in various industrial applications, such as the manufacture of batteries, electrical cables, cable coatings, solders, metal alloys and pigments. And where is lead most commonly used today? Although the use of lead has declined significantly over the years due to concerns about its toxicity, there are still some applications where it is commonly used.
Lead is widely used in the manufacture of lead-acid batteries, which are commonly found in cars, uninterruptible power systems and stationary applications. These batteries are prized for their ability to efficiently store and release energy. Although its use has declined, lead can still be found in some construction applications.
This includes coatings for electrical cables, solders, metal alloys for roofs and gutters, as well as specific glass and ceramics. Lead is still used in counterweights, especially in industrial and automotive applications. For example, lead counterweights are used in car wheels when balancing them because of their high density, which reaches 11.
4 grams per cubic centimeter. It can also be used to balance aviation propellers and in some industrial applications where it is necessary to balance objects. And because of its high density and radiation attenuation properties, it is widely used in aprons and radiological protection sheets in medical facilities, research laboratories and nuclear power plants.
When you go to take that X-ray and they cover you with a rather heavy vest or apron in a specific room, that apron and the walls of that room are lined with lead precisely because of the radiation. So, did you know about all these lead curiosities? Ever had an X-ray and had to wear a lead vest?
Or maybe you're a fan of guns and have a BB gun lying around your house. Leave it in the comments, I want to know I'm going to leave two videos here on the side that you might like too and that's cool, it's worth checking out. If you liked the video, leave your like, subscribe to the channel and share this video with others.
That's it engineering lovers, a big hug and see you in the next video.
