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Lead (Pb), element 82
Lead (Pb) is the chemical element with atomic number 82: a post-transition metal in group 14, period 6. At 25 °C it is a solid, with an atomic mass of 207 u.
Physical and chemical data
| Atomic number | 82 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Pb |
| Atomic mass | 207 u |
| Density | 11.34 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 327.46 °C (600.61 K) |
| Boiling point | 1,748.85 °C (2,022 K) |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2.33 |
| Electron configuration | [Xe]6s2 4f14 5d10 6p2 |
| Atomic radius (van der Waals) | 202 pm |
| Oxidation states | +4, +2 |
| Physical state at 25 °C | solid |
| Family | post-transition metal |
| Group and period | 14 / 6 |
| Discoverer and year | known since antiquity |
Humanity has lived with lead since before chemistry existed as a science: there is no discoverer to record, only millennia of use.
Neighbours on the table
Horizontally, one proton less lands on Thallium (Z=81); one more lands on Bismuth (Z=83). Vertically, group 14 gathers relatives with similar behaviour: Silicon, Germanium, Tin, Flerovium.
The story behind the name
The symbol Pb comes from the Latin plumbum, a word that survives in the English plumber, a legacy of the lead pipes that supplied Rome. Dense, soft and easy to cast, it followed civilisation through aqueducts, printing type, paints and petrol, until science mapped its neurological price and slowly banned it from almost everything. Pencil lead never contained lead: the mix-up comes from the ore plumbago, which resembles galena. Lead vaults remain indispensable though: it is what shields X-ray rooms.
Physical and chemical data: PubChem Periodic Table (NCBI, compiling NIST and IUPAC), public domain, snapshot of 2026-07-10. Temperatures converted from kelvin; historical notes cross checked against classic chemistry references.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources