Quick answerLead (Pb) is a post-transition metal with atomic number 82 and an atomic mass of 207.2 (2023), in group 14, period 6. It has been known since ancient times. It is used for car batteries and radiation shielding. Its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2.
Lead is the dense, soft metal that shielded Rome's water pipes, weighted fishing lines, and, for most of the 20th century, filled car batteries and petrol. It blocks radiation in hospitals and nuclear plants, and its weight steadies everything from anchors to diving belts. But lead is poisonous, so paints, petrol, and pipes have steadily been stripped of it.
Key facts
| Symbol | Pb |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 82 |
| Atomic mass | 207.2 (IUPAC standard atomic weight, 2023) |
| Category | post-transition metal |
| Group | 14 |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | p-block |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2 |
| Discovered | Known since ancient times |
| Uses | car batteries, radiation shielding, solder and alloys, weights and ballast, cable sheathing |
Overview
Lead is the dense, soft metal that shielded Rome's water pipes, weighted fishing lines, and, for most of the 20th century, filled car batteries and petrol. It has atomic number 82, an atomic mass of 207.2, and the electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2, and it sits in group 14, period 6 of the periodic table. It has been known since ancient times, smelted easily from its ore galena, and no single discoverer is credited with it. Lead's weight and softness made it endlessly useful: it blocks radiation in hospitals and nuclear plants, steadies anchors and diving belts, sheaths cables, and forms the plates inside lead-acid car batteries, still its biggest use today. It also made solder, pewter and the type of printing presses. But lead is poisonous, and it builds up in the body, harming children's brains and adults' kidneys and blood pressure. Leaded petrol, lead paint and lead pipes have therefore been stripped out in most countries, and lead is now handled with strict controls, recycled from old batteries, and kept out of children's toys and paint.
Frequently asked questions
What is lead used for?
Lead is mainly used in lead-acid car batteries, still its biggest use, and in radiation shielding for hospitals and nuclear plants. It also steadies anchors and diving belts, sheaths cables, and makes solder and alloys. Leaded petrol, lead paint and lead pipes have been phased out because lead is poisonous and builds up in the body.
What is the symbol for lead?
The chemical symbol for lead is Pb, from its Latin name plumbum, rather than from the English word lead. Plumbers take their name from it, because they once worked in lead. Lead has atomic number 82 and a standard atomic mass of 207.2, and it has been known since ancient times, so no single person discovered it.
What is the atomic number of lead?
Lead has atomic number 82, so it is the eighty-second element in the periodic table. Its atom holds eighty-two protons and eighty-two electrons, and its standard atomic mass is 207.2. It is a post-transition metal in group 14 and period 6, with the electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p2, and it blocks radiation.
Is lead a metal?
Yes, lead is a metal, a post-transition metal in group 14 of the periodic table. It is dense, soft and grey, easy to cut and shape, and it blocks radiation well, which is why hospitals and nuclear plants use it for shielding. It is poisonous, though, so lead paint, petrol and pipes have been phased out in most countries.
Is lead poisonous?
Yes, lead is poisonous. It builds up in the body over time, harming children's developing brains and adults' kidneys and blood pressure, and there is no safe level of exposure for children. That is why leaded petrol, lead paint and lead water pipes have been phased out, and why lead is recycled under strict controls today.
Quick quiz
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Keep exploring
- Periodic table — all 118 elements
- Gallium (Ga) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 31
- Indium (In) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 49
- Tin (Sn) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 50
- Thallium (Tl) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 81
- Bismuth (Bi) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 83
- Polonium (Po) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 84
- Nihonium (Nh) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 113
- Flerovium (Fl) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 114
- Moscovium (Mc) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 115
- Livermorium (Lv) — another post-transition metal, atomic number 116
- All post-transition metal elements — on the periodic table
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.