# Lead
## 🧊 Lead · 3D (three.js)
<iframe src="https://wikitube-elements.netlify.app/?el=Pb&embed=1" width="100%" height="620" frameborder="0" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" title="The Elements 3D microsim - Lead"></iframe>
*Lead in the live three.js Elements explorer — drag to orbit the atom, click any tile to compare, slide the temperature.* · [▶ open full](https://wikitube-elements.netlify.app/?el=Pb)
<!-- ELEMENTS_MICROSIM:END -->
!Lead plate.svg
*Plate 82 of 118 - animated Bohr shells, stylized per Madelung filling; engraving style per house Arcanity kit.*
## Microsim To Do
*Claimable rows, house pattern. Real Wikipedia articles only.*
- [[Decay_chain|Decay chain]] - lead-206 and lead-208 as the stable endpoints of uranium and thorium series
- Radiometric dating - using lead isotope ratios to date rocks and minerals
- Lead-acid battery - the chemistry of electrochemical storage
- Radiation shielding - lead's density and atomic number make it an X-ray and gamma barrier
## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Lead.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
`Abundance_of_elements_in_Earth's_crust` · `Abundances_of_the_elements_(data_page)` · `Academic_Press` · `Acetic_acid` · `Acid` · [[Actinium]] · `Age_of_Earth` · `Agency_for_Toxic_Substances_and_Disease_Registry` · `Alkali` · `Alkali_metal` · `Alkaline_earth_metal` · `Allotropy` · [[Alpha_decay]] · [[Aluminium]] · `American_Geophysical_Union` · `American_Journal_of_Archaeology` · [[Americium]] · `Ammonia` · `Amphoterism` · `Ancient_Rome` · `Anemia` · `Anode` · [[Antimony]] · [[Argon]] · [[Arsenic]] · [[Astatine]] · `Atom` · `Atomic_nucleus` · `Atomic_number` · `Atomic_orbital` · `Atomic_radius` · `Atomic_spectroscopy` · `Attenuation_coefficient` · `Australia` · `Avgas` · `BBC_News` · `Ballast` · [[Barium]] · `Base_(chemistry)` · `Battery_recycling` · `Bearing_(mechanical)` · `Becquerel` · [[Berkelium]] · [[Beryllium]] · [[Beta_decay]] · `Betterton–Kroll_process` · `Betts_electrolytic_process` · `Bicarbonate` · `BioSystems` · `Bioaccumulation` · `Bioremediation` · [[Bismuth]] · `Bismuth-209` · `Blast_furnace` · `Block_(periodic_table)` · `Blood_lead_level` · `Blood–brain_barrier` · [[Bohrium]] · [[Boiling_point]] · `Bond_energy` · [[Boron]] · `Boron_group` · `Boulangerite` · `Brass` · `Bridging_ligand` · `Brill_Publishers` · `Brinell_hardness_test` · `British_English` · [[Bromine]] · `Bronze` · `Bulk_modulus` · `Bullet` · `Butterworth-Heinemann` · `CAS_Registry_Number` · `CRC_Press` · [[Cadmium]] · [[Caesium]] · [[Calcium]] · `Calcium_bicarbonate` · `Calcium_sulfate` · [[Californium]] · `Cambridge_University_Press` · `Canada` · `Canyon_Diablo_(meteorite)` · [[Carbon]] · `Carbon_dioxide` · `Carbon_group` · `Carbon_monoxide` · `Carbon_steel` · `Cardiovascular_disease` · `Catenation` · `Cathode` · `Centers_for_Disease_Control_and_Prevention` · `Ceramic_glaze` · `Cerebral_cortex` · [[Cerium]] · `Chalcogen` · `Chelation` · `Chelation_therapy` · `Chemical_Reviews` · `Chemical_decomposition` · [[Chemical_element]] · `Chemical_symbol` · `Chemistry_World` · [[Chlorine]] · [[Chromium]] · `Cinnamon` · `Circulatory_system` · `Clair_Patterson` · `Coal-fired_power_station` · `Coal_gas` · [[Cobalt]] · `Cofactor_(biochemistry)` · `Cognitive_impairment` · `Coke_(fuel)` · `Commission_on_Isotopic_Abundances_and_Atomic_Weights` · `Concordia_University` · `Congener_(chemistry)` · `Constable_&_Robinson` · `Construction` · `Consumer_Reports` · `Coordination_complex` · [[Copernicium]] · [[Copper]] · [[Corrosion]] · `Covalent_bond` · `Covalent_radius` · `Crystal` · `Crystal_polymorphism` · [[Crystal_structure]] · [[Cubic_crystal_system]] · [[Curium]] · `Dakar` · `Dark_chocolate` · [[Darmstadtium]] · [[Decay_chain]] · [[Decay_product]] · `Delta-aminolevulinic_acid_dehydratase` · [[Density]] · `Desulfovibrio` · `Diamagnetism` · `Diamond_cubic` · `Dimercaprol` · `Disease_burden` · `Diving_weighting_system` · `Domestic_roof_construction` · `Dorling_Kindersley` · `Dover_Publications` · `Dross` · `Drying` · [[Dubnium]] · `Ductility` · [[Dysprosium]] · `Earth's_crust` · [[Einsteinium]] · `Electrical_resistivity_and_conductivity` · `Electrochemistry` · `Electrolyte` · [[Electron]] · `Electron_capture` · `Electron_configuration` · `Electronegativity` · `Electrowinning` · `Elsevier` · `Engine_knocking` · `Enthalpy_of_fusion` · `Enthalpy_of_vaporization` · `Environmental_Health_Perspectives` · `Environmental_Monitoring_and_Assessment` · `Environmental_Research` · `Environmental_hazard` · `Enzyme` · [[Erbium]] · `Ethylenediaminetetraacetic_acid` · `Europe` · `European_Physical_Journal_A` · [[Europium]] · `Even_and_odd_atomic_nuclei` · `Fall_of_the_Western_Roman_Empire` · [[Fermium]] · `Ferrochelatase` · `Fishing_sinker` · `Flame_test` · `Flashing_(weatherproofing)` · [[Flerovium]] · [[Fluorine]] · `Fluorite` · `Flux_(metallurgy)` · `Food_and_Drug_Administration` · `Formic_acid` · [[Francium]] · `Froth_flotation` · `Fusible_alloy` · `GHS_hazard_pictograms` · `GHS_hazard_statements` · `GHS_precautionary_statements` · [[Gadolinium]] · `Galena` · [[Gallium]] · `General_aviation` · `Geoffrey_Burbidge` · [[Germanium]] · `Global_Burden_of_Disease_Study` · `Globally_Harmonized_System_of_Classification_and_Labelling_of_Chemicals` · `Goddard_Space_Flight_Center` · [[Gold]] · `Goldschmidt_classification` · `Grain_boundary` · `Graphite` · `Gravimetric_analysis` · `Grinding_(abrasive_cutting)` · `Group_(periodic_table)` · `Group_10_element` · `Group_11_element` · `Group_12_element` · `Group_3_element` · `Group_4_element` · `Group_5_element` · `Group_6_element` · `Group_7_element` · `Group_8_element` · `Group_9_element` · `Hachette_Book_Group` · [[Hafnium]] · [[Half-life]] · `Halide` · `Haloalkane` · `Halogen` · `Hard_water` · [[Hassium]] · [[Helium]] · `Heme` · `Hexafluorosilicic_acid` · `History_of_lead` · [[Holmium]] · `Homologous_series` · `Hydrochloric_acid` · [[Hydrogen]] · `Hydrogen_sulfide` · `Hydrometallurgy` · `Hydroxy_group` · `Hypertension` · `Icosahedron` · `Immediately_dangerous_to_life_or_health` · [[Indium]] · `Industrial_Revolution` · `Inert-pair_effect` · `Infrared` · `Inorganic_Chemistry_(journal)` · `Inorganica_Chimica_Acta` · `Intelligence_quotient` · `Internal_combustion_engine` · `International_Atomic_Energy_Agency` · `Internet_Archaeology` · [[Iodine]] · [[Ion]] · `Ion-selective_electrode` · `Ion_channel` · `Ionic_conductivity_(solid_state)` · [[Ionization_energy]] · `Ionizing_radiation` · [[Iridium]] · [[Iron]] · `Isotope` · `Isotopes_of_lead` · `J._B._Lippincott_&_Co.` · `John_Emsley` · `Journal_of_Chemical_Education` · `Journal_of_Crystal_Growth` · `Katharina_Lodders` · `Kelvin` · `Kidney` · [[Krypton]] · [[Lanthanum]] · `Latin` · `Lattice_constant` · [[Lawrencium]] · `Lead(II)_acetate` · `Lead(II)_bromide` · `Lead(II)_chloride` · `Lead(II)_chromate` · `Lead(II)_fluoride` · `Lead(II)_hydroxide` · `Lead(II)_iodide` · `Lead(II)_nitrate` · `Lead(II)_oxide` · `Lead(II)_sulfide` · `Lead(II,IV)_oxide` · `Lead(IV)_acetate` · `Lead(IV)_chloride` · `Lead(IV)_sulfide` · `Lead-cooled_fast_reactor` · `Lead_bismuthate` · `Lead_carbonate` · `Lead_dioxide` · `Lead_fluorobromide` · `Lead_fluorochloride` · `Lead_glass` · `Lead_hydrogen_arsenate` · `Lead_oxide` · `Lead_poisoning` · `Lead_selenide` · `Lead_shielding` · `Lead_sulfide` · `Lead_telluride` · `Lead_tetrafluoride` · `Lead–acid_battery` · `Lead–crime_hypothesis` · `Lead–lead_dating` · `Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa` · `Linus_Pauling` · `Lippincott_Williams_&_Wilkins` · `List_of_chemical_element_name_etymologies` · `List_of_data_references_for_chemical_elements` · `Litharge` · [[Lithium]] · `Lithium-ion_battery` · [[Livermorium]] · `Lone_pair` · [[Lutetium]] · `MIT_OpenCourseWare` · `Macron_(diacritic)` · `Magic_number_(physics)` · [[Magnesium]] · `Magnetic_susceptibility` · `Magnetism` · [[Manganese]] · `Margaret_Burbidge` · `Mass` · `Mass_attenuation_coefficient` · [[Meitnerium]] · `Melting_point` · [[Mendelevium]] · `Merck_&_Co.` · `Merck_Index` · [[Mercury_(element)]] · `Merriam-Webster` · `Metal_Stocks_in_Society_report` · `Metallic_bonding` · `Metals_of_antiquity` · `Methane` · `Michael_Faraday` · `Microcytic_anemia` · `Middle_Ages` · `Middle_East` · `Middle_English` · `Mohs_scale` · `Molar_heat_capacity` · [[Molybdenum]] · [[Moscovium]] · `Movable_type` · `Myelin` · `NFPA_704` · `NPR` · `Native_metal` · `Natural_abundance` · `Nature_(journal)` · `Nature_Communications` · `Nauka_(publisher)` · [[Neodymium]] · [[Neon]] · [[Neptunium]] · [[Nervous_system]] · `Netherlands_Organisation_for_Applied_Scientific_Research` · `Neurochemical` · `Neurological_disorder` · `Neuron` · `Neurotoxin` · `Neurotransmitter` · `Neutralization_(chemistry)` · `Neutron_capture` · `Neutron_star` · `New_Scientist` · [[Nickel]] · [[Nihonium]] · [[Niobium]] · `Nitric_acid` · `Nitride` · [[Nitrogen]] · [[Nobelium]] · [[Noble_gas]] · `Norman_Greenwood` · [[Nuclear_magnetic_resonance]] · `Nuclear_shell_model` · `Occupational_Safety_and_Health_Administration` · [[Oganesson]] · `Ohm` · `Old_English` · `Orbital_hybridisation` · `Order_of_magnitude` · `Ore` · `Organ_pipe` · `Organic_compound` · `Organolead_chemistry` · `Organometallic_chemistry` · [[Osmium]] · `Oxford_University_Press` · `Oxidation_state` · `Oxide` · `Oxidizing_agent` · [[Oxygen]] · [[Palladium]] · `Particle_detector` · `Parts-per_notation` · `Pascal_(unit)` · `Passivation_(chemistry)` · `Pearson_symbol` · `Penguin_Books` · `Period_(periodic_table)` · `Period_1_element` · `Period_2_element` · `Period_3_element` · `Period_4_element` · `Period_5_element` · `Period_6_element` · `Period_7_element` · `Periodic_table` · `Periodic_trends` · `Permissible_exposure_limit` · `Pewter` · `Phase_(matter)` · `Phosphoric_acid` · [[Phosphorus]] · `Photoconductivity` · `Photosynthesis` · `Photovoltaics` · `Picometre` · [[Platinum]] · `Plumbane` · `Plumbide` · `Plumbing` · [[Plutonium]] · `Pnictogen` · `Poisson's_ratio` · [[Polonium]] · `Polyvinyl_chloride` · `Post-transition_metal` · [[Potassium]] · [[Praseodymium]] · `Primordial_nuclide` · `Princeton_University_Press` · `Printing_press` · `Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences_of_the_United_States_of_America` · [[Promethium]] · [[Protactinium]] · `Proto-Celtic_language` · `Proto-Germanic_language` · `Proto-Indo-European_language` · `Pseudohalogen` · `Pure_and_Applied_Chemistry` · `Pyrometallurgy` · `Pyrophoricity` · `Qualitative_inorganic_analysis` · [[Quasicrystal]] · `R-process` · `Radical_(chemistry)` · [[Radioactive_decay]] · [[Radium]] · [[Radon]] · `Rain_gutter` · `Redox` · `Reducing_agent` · `Relativistic_quantum_chemistry` · `Reverberatory_furnace` · `Reviews_of_Modern_Physics` · [[Rhenium]] · [[Rhodium]] · `RoHS` · `Roasting_(metallurgy)` · `Robert_A._Kehoe` · [[Roentgenium]] · `Room_temperature` · `Rotary_kiln` · `Routledge` · `Royal_Society_of_Chemistry` · [[Rubidium]] · [[Ruthenium]] · [[Rutherfordium]] · `S-process` · `Salt_(chemistry)` · [[Samarium]] · [[Scandium]] · `Scholarly_peer_review` · [[Science_(journal)]] · `Science_and_Technology_of_Advanced_Materials` · `Science_of_the_Total_Environment` · `Scientific_American` · `Scrubber` · `Scuba_diving` · [[Seaborgium]] · [[Selenium]] · `Semiconductor` · `Sesquioxide` · `Shear_modulus` · `Shielding_effect` · `Shot_(pellet)` · `Shotgun` · [[Silicon]] · [[Silver]] · `Skeptical_Inquirer` · `Slag` · [[Sodium]] · `Solar_System` · `Solder` · `Solid` · `Specific_heat_capacity` · `Spectral_line` · `Spectrophotometry` · `Speed_of_sound` · `Springer_Science+Business_Media` · `Stable_nuclide` · `Standard_atomic_weight` · `Standard_temperature_and_pressure` · `Sterling_Publishing` · [[Strontium]] · `Sulfate-reducing_microorganism` · [[Sulfur]] · `Sulfuric_acid` · `Supercapacitor` · [[Superconductivity]] · `Supernova` · `Synapse` · `Synthetic_radioisotope` · [[Tantalum]] · `Tarnish` · [[Technetium]] · [[Tellurium]] · [[Tennessine]] · [[Terbium]] · `Tetraethyllead` · [[Thallium]] · `The_Astrophysical_Journal` · `The_Hill_(newspaper)` · `The_Journal_of_Chemical_Physics` · `The_Lancet` · `The_New_England_Journal_of_Medicine` · `The_Northern_Echo` · `Thiol` · `Thomas_Thomson_(chemist)` · [[Thorium]] · `Thorium-232` · [[Thulium]] · `Timeline_of_chemical_element_discoveries` · [[Tin]] · [[Titanium]] · `Trace_radioisotope` · `Traditional_medicine` · `Trigonal_bipyramidal_molecular_geometry` · [[Tungsten]] · `Turmeric` · `Type-I_superconductor` · `Ultimate_tensile_strength` · `United_Nations_Environment_Programme` · `United_States` · `United_States_Coast_Guard` · `United_States_Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services` · `United_States_Department_of_the_Interior` · `United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency` · `United_States_Geological_Survey` · `United_States_Government_Publishing_Office` · `Universe` · `University_of_California,_Berkeley` · `University_of_Pennsylvania_Press` · `University_of_Toronto_Press` · [[Uranium]] · `Uranium-235` · `Uranium-238` · `Uranium–lead_dating` · `Valence_(chemistry)` · `Van_der_Waals_radius` · [[Vanadium]] · `Vapor_pressure` · `Vinyl_group` · [[Voltage]] · `W._H._Freeman_and_Company` · `Waterfowl_hunting` · `White_lead` · `Wikisource` · `William_Alfred_Fowler` · `Woodhead_Publishing` · `World_Health_Organization` · `World_Nuclear_Association` · `X-ray_fluorescence` · [[Xenon]] · `Young's_modulus` · [[Ytterbium]] · [[Yttrium]] · [[Zinc]] · `Zintl_phase` · [[Zirconium]]
## Gallery
*Electrolytic lead and a 1 cm3 cube (Wikimedia Commons)*
> **Official MAIN - Chemical element, Z = 82.** Part of the Elements Canon (one canonical page per element). Infobox grounded in [Wikipedia: List of chemical elements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements), fetched 2026-07-08. Full article: [Wikipedia: Lead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead).
<!-- ELEMENTS_MICROSIM:BEGIN (auto-managed block - edits inside will be overwritten) -->
## Key facts (infobox)
| | |
|---|---|
| Symbol - Z | Pb - 82 |
| Group - Period - Block | 14 - 6 - p-block |
| Atomic weight (Da) | 207.2 |
| Density (g/cm3) | 11.34 |
| Melting - Boiling (K) | 600.61 - 2022 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.87-2.33 |
| Crustal abundance (mg/kg) | 14 |
| Origin | primordial |
| Phase (STP) | solid |
| Name origin | Proto-Celtic root meaning 'flow'; symbol from Latin plumbum |
*Bracketed weights are the mass number of the most stable isotope; values in parentheses are predictions (per the source table).*
## Story
Lead is one of the oldest known metals, used since at least 3000 BCE by ancient civilizations for weights, vessels, and pipes. The Romans extracted it at massive scale from galena ore, fashioning the pipes that carried water through their aqueducts—and, unknowingly, a significant source of chronic lead poisoning in their empire. Lead was known to ancient alchemists and was associated in medieval times with Saturn (hence "saturnine" for lead-poisoned melancholy).
Lead is a soft, dense, and highly malleable metal that resists corrosion. Its primary industrial uses are in batteries (lead-acid storage batteries remain a cornerstone of automotive and backup power), radiation shielding, and ammunition. Lead is also a decay product of uranium and thorium chains, accumulating slowly in the crust. The element is notoriously toxic: chronic exposure damages the nervous system, particularly in children, and can impair cognitive development. [model-prior - verify]
In this corpus, lead connects directly to the decay-chain physics framework: it is the final stable endpoint of the uranium-238 decay chain and thorium-232 chain, making it essential to understanding half-lives, radiometric dating, and the deep geochemistry of radioactive elements. Lead's role in industrial civilization and its neurotoxicity also ground it in the occupational-health and environmental-accountability themes the canon carries.
## Corpus connections
Lead is the terminus of decay chains: the final stable product of uranium-238 and thorium-232 fission chains, grounding it in radioactive-series physics and radiometric dating.
- R.E.A.C.T.I.O.N. - the Chemistry hub
- Centers of Excellence Portal
- [[Technetium|Technetium - the element made before found]] - the canon's patron - and Technitium, the School
- [Uranium-238 decay chain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decay_chain) - lead-206 is the stable endpoint
- [Thorium-232 decay chain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decay_chain) - lead-208 is the stable endpoint
## Vocational-Technical Semiotics
The element speaks the canon's shared signs: the periodic table cell (Pb, group 14, period 6), isotope notation, and hazard pictograms ghs where handling demands it.
## Sources
Infobox: [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements) (fetched 2026-07-08); etymology per the same table's notes. Story sources to be added at enrichment.
## Navigation
- Canon: Elements Canon index - neighbors by Z: [[Thallium|Thallium (81)]] - [[Bismuth|Bismuth (83)]]
- R.E.A.C.T.I.O.N. - Centers of Excellence
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Lead)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parents: [[Helium]] · [[Hydrogen]] · [[Oxygen]].
Legacy hubs: none.
---
*Sources: 1 legacy note. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*