Density of lead
Lead is a unique metal that hasa lot of positive and negative properties, for many years people have learned to extract not only harm, but also benefit from the physicochemical properties of this substance. Now such a chemical element as lead is in the periodic table at number 82, it is denoted as Pb and is called "plumbum". It is gray in color, the density of lead is 11.34 g / cm3, it is one of the most soft metals. But do not confuse these two scientific concepts. The density of lead in other words is its specific weight per unit volume, and the softness is determined by the structure of the crystal lattice. Lead is soft only in its pure form, but if it is subjected to heat treatment under certain temperature conditions, it can become a fairly strong metal.
The origin of the very name "lead" is verycontradictory, in many languages it sounds like "tin" and it is not surprising, because lead looks like tin, which was discovered much later and left behind its present name, but the substance under consideration changed its name. These two metals are quite similar not only visually but also in some respects, although the density of lead is much higher than the density of tin.
About the lead and its properties, people have learned more7 thousand years BC and most likely it happened by chance, since this metal has a low melting point -327 ° C. A case is known where, due to a forest fire, by chance, ingots of lead were found under the ash of trees. Thus, they discovered a rich deposit of this metal in America. Lead smelting was the first known metallurgical process, which resulted in the production of a variety of items. For example, in ancient Rome, made of lead made dishes, added to cosmetics, made of this metal, even water, which contributed to the high density of lead and the ability to withstand the negative impact of the environment. People did not know then that all the soluble compounds of this metal are very poisonous.
Subsequently, some peoples used leadin the process of torture and finally invented one of the most deadly guns - a bullet. Of course, with the help of lead, a lot of damage was done in the old days, but the metal itself had nothing to do with it, people were to blame. Now in our progressive century we have learned to derive much benefit from the properties of lead, since its relative density plays an important role in some places. About a third of the total production of this substance goes to the manufacture of conventional batteries for cars. Also, this metal is used in the fuel industry, is added to gasoline to improve its qualities. Since we have a century of transport collapse, and cars are almost all, then the use, and then the evaporation of lead with gasoline vapor into the atmosphere, is causing enormous harm to the environment. If we still take into account the evaporation of asphalt in a hot time, when the density of bitumen decreases with increasing temperature, then we can face an ecological catastrophe. But after all the person is guilty in it!
Just think about it, for a year into the atmospheremore than 50 thousand tons of lead evaporated. Still it is used for the ceramic industry in the manufacture of crystal, and who has not heard of the leaden whites? This substance is in many colors, which, in particular, are used to write icons. Over time, people have learned not only to defend themselves against this metal, but also to protect with it. For example, from a certain composition they learned to do painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. And one of the useful properties of this metal is its "opacity" for X-ray and radioactive rays, which is used in the equipment of X-ray rooms and in the nuclear industry.
In conclusion, we can say that anythe chemical element has both positive properties and negative, but only one person decides which of them to use, and it is good if he applies his knowledge for the benefit of all of us!
