Lead(II) sulfate (PbSO₄) is a white solid, which appears white in microcrystalline form. It is also known as ''fast white'', ''milk white'', ''sulfuric acid lead salt'' or ''anglesite''. It is often seen in the plates/electrodes of car batteries, as it is formed when the battery is discharged (when the battery is recharged, then the lead sulfate is transformed back to metallic lead and

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

on the negative terminal or

lead dioxide Lead(IV) oxide, commonly known as lead dioxide, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is an oxide where lead is in an oxidation state of +4. It is a dark-brown solid which is insoluble in water. It exists in two crystalline forms ...

and sulfuric acid on the positive terminal). Lead sulfate is poorly

soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solubi ...

in water.

Structure

Anglesite (lead(II) sulfate, ) adopts the same

orthorhombic In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Orthorhombic Lattice (group), lattices result from stretching a cubic crystal system, cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, res ...

crystal structure In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...

celestite Celestine (the IMA-accepted name) or celestite is a mineral consisting of strontium sulfate ( Sr S O). The mineral is named for its occasional delicate blue color. Celestine and the carbonate mineral strontianite are the principal sources o ...

( strontium sulfate, ) and

barite Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate (Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

(

barium sulfate Barium sulfate (or sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ba SO4. It is a white crystalline solid that is odorless and insoluble in water. It occurs in nature as the mineral barite, which is the main commercial source of ...

, ). All three minerals' structures are in the

space group In mathematics, physics and chemistry, a space group is the symmetry group of a repeating pattern in space, usually in three dimensions. The elements of a space group (its symmetry operations) are the rigid transformations of the pattern that ...

''Pbnm'' (number 62). Each lead(II) ion is surrounded by 12 oxygen atoms from 7 sulfate ions, forming a PbO₁₂ polyhedron. The lead–oxygen distances range from 2.612 Å to 3.267 Å and the average distance is 2.865 Å.

Manufacturing

Lead(II) sulfate is prepared by treating lead oxide, hydroxide or carbonate with warm sulfuric acid or by treating a soluble lead salt with sulfuric acid. Alternatively, it can be made by the interaction of solutions of lead nitrate and sodium sulfate.

Toxicology

Lead sulfate is toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. It is a cumulative poison, and repeated exposure may lead to anemia, kidney damage, eyesight damage or damage to the central nervous system (especially in children). It is also corrosive - contact with the eyes can lead to severe irritation or burns. Typical threshold limit value is 0.15 mg/m³.

Mineral

The naturally occurring mineral

anglesite Anglesite is a lead sulfate mineral with the chemical formula PbSO4. It occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena. Anglesite occurs as prismatic orthorhombic crystals and earthy masses, and is isomorphous with barite and ...

, PbSO₄, occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore,

Basic and hydrogen lead sulfates

A number of lead basic sulfates are known: PbSO₄·PbO; PbSO₄·2PbO; PbSO₄·3PbO; PbSO₄·4PbO. They are used in manufacturing of active paste for lead–acid batteries. A related mineral is

leadhillite Leadhillite is a lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral, often associated with anglesite. It has the formula Pb4SO4(CO3)2(OH)2. Leadhillite crystallises in the Monoclinic crystal system, monoclinic system, but develops pseudo-hexagonal forms du ...

, 2PbCO₃·PbSO₄·Pb(OH)₂. At high concentration of sulfuric acid (>80%), lead hydrogensulfate, Pb(HSO₄)₂, forms.

Chemical properties

Lead(II) sulfate can be dissolved in concentrated HNO₃, HCl, H₂SO₄ producing acidic salts or complex compounds, and in concentrated alkali giving soluble tetrahydroxidoplumbate(II) b(OH)₄sup>2− complexes. : : Lead(II) sulfate decomposes when heated above 1000 °C: :

Applications

* Lead-acid storage batteries * Paint pigments * Laboratory reagent

References

External links

Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM): Lead Toxicity

ToxFAQs: Lead

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lead(Ii) Sulfate Sulfates Lead(II) compounds