ABSTRACT
Lead has been known and used from antiquity because of the minimal technology needed for small scale extraction of the metal, its low melting point and ease of fabrication and the easy identification of some lead minerals. The principal sources of lead are galena, cerussite and anglesite, associated with small quantities of zinc, copper, tin, arsenic, bismuth and antimony. This chapter describes that a dominant factor in selecting lead for corrosion-resistant service is its outstanding resistance to mineral acids, especially sulfuric, phosphoric, chromic, oxalic and hydrochloric acids due to the virtual insolubility of lead salts of these acids. A factor is that the solubilities of lead sulfate and lead chloride are so low that the passive film is resistant to sulfur pollution in industrial and urban environments and generally protective in marine environments, including seawater. The chapter discusses the applications of lead, such as lead acid batteries, equipment for electrochemical metal finishing, and chromium plating from chromic acid baths.
