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Lead

Element 82 · Post-transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number
82
Atomic mass
207.2
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
327.5 °C
Boiling point
1,749 °C
Density
11.34 g/cm³
Discovered
Ancient

Atomic mass from IUPAC.1 Other physical data from PubChem.2

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Poison. People take in lead from dust, soil, water and food. It can harm almost every organ, and young children are at most risk. The WHO says no level of lead exposure is known to be safe. 34

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The atom

Pb
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 18
4 (N) 32
5 (O) 18
6 (P) outermost 4
Total82

Configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p²

4f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
5d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
6s ↑ ↓
6p ↑ ↑
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 82 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Xe core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 14
C Carbon Si Silicon Ge Germanium Sn Tin Fl Flerovium

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Sources

  1. 1

    IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW), 2024. Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 .

    The atomic mass shown for the 84 elements that have a standard atomic weight.

  2. 2

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  3. 3

    World Health Organization, 2026. Lead poisoning .

    • There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects.
    • ingestion of contaminated dust, soil, water or food. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning
  4. 4

    Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 2020. Lead | ToxFAQs .

    • The effects of lead are the same whether it enters the body by breathing it in or eating it. Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body.
  5. 5

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2026. Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements .

    Isotopic composition of each element; the most abundant isotope sets the neutron count in the nucleus view.