| Reactions of Lead |
Reactions with water |
| The surface of lead is covered by a thin layer of oxide that means it will not react under normal conditions. |
Reactions with air |
| Only upon heating lead to 600-800°C does lead react with oxygen in air to from lead oxide. |
2Pb(s) + O2(g) 2PbO(s) |
Reactions with halogens |
| Lead metal reacts vigorously with fluorine at room temperature and chlorine on warming to form poisonous dihalides. |
Pb(s) + F2(g) PbF2(s) |
Pb(s) + Cl2(g) PbCl2(s) |
Reactions with acids |
| The surface of lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide which renders the lead essentially insoluble in sulphuric acid, and so, in the past, a useful container of this acid. Lead reacts slowly with hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. In the latter case, nitrogen oxides are formed together with lead(II) nitrate. |
Reactions with bases |
| Lead dissolves slowly in cold alkalis to form plumbites. |
| Reduction Potentials | |
| Balanced half-reaction | E0 / V |
Pb4+ + 2e- Pb2+ |
+1.694 |
Pb2+ + 2e- Pb(s) |
-0.126 |
Pb2+ + 2e- Pb(s) |
-0.14 |
Pb2+ + 2e- Pb(s))
|
-0.29 |
3PbO2(s) + 2H2O + 4e- Pb3O4(s) + 4OH- |
+0.295 |
PbO2(s) + 4H+ + 2e- Pb2+ + 2H2O
|
+1.455 |
PbO2(s) + 4H+ + SO42- + 2e- PbSO4(s) + 2H2O
|
+1.685 |
PbO2(s) + H+ + 2e- HPbO2- |
+0.621 |
3PbO32- + 10H+ + 4e- Pb3O4(s) + 5H2O
|
+2.515 |
PbO32- + 4H+ + 2e- PbO(s) + 2H2O
|
+2.001 |
PbO32- + 3H+ + e- HPbO2- + H2O
|
+1.547 |
PbO32- + 6H+ + 2e- Pb2+ + 3H2O
|
+2.375 |
Pb3O4(s) + H2O + 2e- 3PbO(s) + 2OH- |
+0.249 |
Pb3O4(s) + 8H+ + 2e- 3Pb2+ + 3H2O
|
+2.094 |
Pb3O4(s) + 2H2O + 2e- 3HPbO2- + H+ |
-0.390 |
PbO(s) + 2H+ + 2e- Pb(s) + H2O
|
+0.249 |
PbSO4 + 2e- Pb(s) + SO42- |
-0.350 |
HPbO2- + 3H+ + 2e- Pb(s) + 2H2O
|
+0.702 |
Pb(s) + 2H+ + 2e- PbH2 |
-1.507 |