Discovery of Lead

It is one of the oldest metals in use. Alchemists considered lead as the oldest metal, identified it with the planet Saturn and represented it with its symbol. A figure found in the historical city of “Abydos” in the Çanakkale region, BC. It belongs to the year 3000. The best known of the first production lead mines is the Balya-Karaaydın mine in Balıkesir. Lead pipes belonging to the ancient Egyptian civilization were found in Egypt and it was determined that lead solders were used in various fields. Phoenicians operated lead mines in Cyprus, Sardinia and Spain. Its frequency in the earth’s crust is 12.5 g/t. It is among the metals that can be found naturally. The most common ores of lead are the sulfur mineral galena (PbS) and its oxidized products, cerucite (PbCO3) and anglesite (PbSO4). The most important of these minerals is galena. It is generally found in combination with sphalerite (ZnS), silver and pyrite (FeS2). More than half of the lead in use comes from recycled products

Bullet

Lead (Pb) is a blue-silver mixture element with atomic number 82 and atomic mass 207.19. It melts at 327.5 °C and boils at 1740 °C. In nature, there are 4 isotopes with mass numbers 208, 206, 207 and 204. Although lead has 4 open electrons in its final shell, it usually gets +2 valence instead of +4 in its compounds. Because the last 2 electrons remaining can be easily ionized. Unlike nitrate and chlorate, Lead (II) salts are much less soluble in water. In stable compounds of lead (such as tetraethylead or tetramethylead), lead is directly attached to a carbon atom. These compounds are colorless liquids with boiling points of 110 °C and 200 °C, respectively. Its frequency in the earth’s crust is 12.5 g/t. It is among the metals that can be found naturally. The most common ores of lead are the sulfur mineral galena (PbS) and its oxidized products, cerucite (PbCO3) and anglesite (PbSO4). The most important of these minerals is galena. It is generally found in combination with sphalerite (ZnS), silver and pyrite (FeS2).

What is Lead Lead (Lat. plumbum) is one of the elements in the periodic table, its symbol is Pb and its atomic number is 82. It is a soft, heavy, poisonous, easily malleable metal. It is bluish white when freshly cut, but turns dull gray over time as it oxidizes in air.

Where is Lead Used?

It is used in the construction industry and also in the making of various batteries, bullets, solder, and other alloys. This element, which has a very strong absorbing feature of sound vibrations, is used in sound insulation. It functions as a radiation shield in X-ray equipment and nuclear power plants. White lead, which is a carbonate compound with basic properties, and other similar lead compounds are included in the structure of paints.

Obtaining Lead

Lead ores are extracted from underground by digging, blasting, crushing and grinding stages and then processed by extractive metallurgy methods. The foam flotation process allows the lead to be separated from the accompanying rock and soil particles and collected in a concentrate containing 65-80% Pb. After the lead concentrate is dried, it is first sintered by pyrometallurgical processes and then melted to contain 97% Pb. By cooling the product gradually, impurities lighter than lead are collected and removed on the surface to form a dross layer. The impurities remaining in the molten lead bouillon are collected in the slag phase in the next stage, through a melting process over which air is passed, and the purity of the lead is increased to 99.9%.