Lead | Wikipedia audio article
Channel: wikipedia tts
Date: 2018-12-08

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Lead


00:02:20 1 Physical properties
00:02:29 1.1 Atomic
00:04:37 1.2 Bulk
00:07:15 1.3 Isotopes
00:11:18 2 Chemistry
00:12:25 2.1 Inorganic compounds
00:14:02 2.1.1 Lead(II)
00:16:38 2.1.2 Lead(IV)
00:17:51 2.1.3 Other oxidation states
00:19:37 2.2 Organolead
00:21:38 3 Origin and occurrence
00:21:48 3.1 In space
00:24:35 3.2 On Earth
00:26:16 4 Etymology
00:27:35 5 History
00:27:44 5.1 Prehistory and early history
00:28:52 5.2 Classical era
00:31:31 5.2.1 Confusion with tin and antimony
00:32:30 5.3 Middle Ages and the Renaissance
00:34:40 5.4 Outside Europe and Asia
00:35:22 5.5 Industrial Revolution
00:36:50 5.6 Modern era
00:39:11 6 Production
00:40:51 6.1 Primary
00:41:44 6.1.1 Two-stage process
00:43:42 6.1.2 Direct process
00:44:39 6.1.3 Alternatives
00:45:11 6.2 Secondary
00:46:24 7 Applications
00:46:49 7.1 Elemental form
00:50:55 7.2 Compounds
00:52:23 8 Biological effects
00:53:07 8.1 Toxicity
00:54:02 8.2 Effects
00:55:52 8.3 Exposure sources
00:58:17 8.4 Treatment
00:58:51 9 Environmental effects
01:01:13 10 Restriction and remediation
01:03:52 11 See also



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SUMMARY
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Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb (from the Latin plumbum) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, lead is silvery with a hint of blue; it tarnishes to a dull gray color when exposed to air. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and three of its isotopes each conclude a major decay chain of heavier elements.
Lead is a relatively unreactive post-transition metal. Its weak metallic character is illustrated by its amphoteric nature; lead and lead oxides react with acids and bases, and it tends to form covalent bonds. Compounds of lead are usually found in the +2 oxidation state rather than the +4 state common with lighter members of the carbon group. Exceptions are mostly limited to organolead compounds. Like the lighter members of the group, lead tends to bond with itself; it can form chains, rings, and polyhedral structures.
Lead is easily extracted from its ores; prehistoric people in Western Asia knew of it. Galena, a principal ore of lead, often bears silver, interest in which helped initiate widespread extraction and use of lead in ancient Rome. Lead production declined after the fall of Rome and did not reach comparable levels until the Industrial Revolution. In 2014, the annual global production of lead was about ten million tonnes, over half of which was from recycling. Lead's high density, low melting point, ductility and relative inertness to oxidation make it useful. These properties, combined with its relative abundance and low cost, resulted in its extensive use in construction, plumbing, batteries, bullets and shot, weights, solders, pewters, fusible alloys, white paints, leaded gasoline, and radiation shielding.
In the late 19th century, lead's toxicity was recognized, and its use has since been phased out of many applications. Lead is a toxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones, it acts as a neurotoxin damaging the nervous system and interfering with the function of biological enzymes. It is particularly problematic in children: even if blood levels are promptly normalized with treatment, neurological disorders, such as brain damage and behavioral problems, may result.