Lead

Real Metals · Common · Timeless

Soft enough to scratch with a fingernail and melting at a heat a wood fire reaches, so anyone with a pot and a ladle could work it: lead was the plumbing, the roofing and the cheap solder of the ancient world. It is also dense, dense enough that a fist-sized lump is a real weight in the hand. Everything convenient about it is why it got everywhere, and it poisons slowly enough that nobody made the connection.

Identity

Symbol
Pb
Atomic number
82
Source
Natural element
Used in
Pewter
Also known as
Plumbum, Pb
Ores, before industry and since
Galena
Ores of the industrial age
Anglesite, Cerussite, Pyromorphite
Ore deposits
Hydrothermal vein (lode), Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit, Oxidized zone (gossan)
Used in alchemy
Lead Powder

Physical Properties

Appearance
Blue-grey, very soft, freshly cut surfaces shine but dull rapidly
Luster
Metallic
Density
11.34 g/cm³
Melting point
327 °C
Boiling point
1749 °C
Lighter
Adamantium
Denser
Adamantine
Magnetism
Non-magnetic
Electrical conductivity
Low

Mechanical Properties

Mohs hardness
1.5
Tensile strength
12 MPa
Softer
Mercury
Harder
Aluminum
Workability
Easy
Brittleness
Tough
Malleability
Very High
Ductility
Moderate

Chemical Properties

Corrosion resistance
High
Reactivity
Low

Lore & Narrative

Some historians have proposed that chronic lead poisoning from plumbing and wine vessels contributed to the cognitive decline of Roman emperors and aristocracy. The Latin word for plumbing, plumbum, is the origin of the chemical symbol Pb.

Notable uses
Ammunition, radiation shielding, batteries, ancient plumbing
Forge uses
Ammunition, Radiation shielding, Weights
Worldbuilding traits
Heavy, Toxic, Ancient, Cheap

Sources

Browse the Metal Encyclopedia — MGS Toolbox