Lead

    Lead is a bluish white metal that is very soft and bright in luster. It is a poor conductor of electricity, sound and vibrations. Lead belongs to Group 14 and it is the heaviest member of the carbon family. It is also the 36^th most abundant element in the earth, with its abundance in the earth's crust to be between 13-20 ppm (parts per million.) Lead dissolves very slowly in water, which is one of the reasons why lead was used for pipes.

    Lead is ductile, which means that it can be drawn into thin wires. Lead is also malleable, which means that it is capable of being hammered into thin sheets. Pure lead doesn't occur in the earth that often, however its ore lead sulfide does. So through a process called extraction the compound PbS (galena) is purified into lead. When exposed to air lead that was originally shinny in color tarnishes.

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