lead(II) oxide

chemical compound
Also known as: lead monoxide

Learn about this topic in these articles:

Assorted References

  • lead compounds
    • lead
      In lead: Compounds

      …lead compounds are the oxides: lead monoxide, PbO, in which lead is in the +2 state; lead dioxide, PbO2, in which lead is in the +4 state; and trilead tetroxide, Pb3O4. Lead monoxide exists in two modifications, litharge and massicot. Litharge, or alpha lead monoxide, is a red or reddish…

      Read More
  • semimetallic ceramics
    • Figure 1: Schematic diagram of a zirconia oxygen sensor used to monitor automobile exhaust gases. The sensor, approximately the size of a spark plug, is fitted into the exhaust manifold of an automobile engine. The thimble-shaped zirconia sensor, sandwiched between thin layers of porous platinum, is exposed on its interior to outside air and on its exterior to exhaust gas passing through slits in the sensor shield. The two platinum surfaces serve as electrodes, conducting a voltage across the zirconia that varies according to the difference in oxygen content between the exhaust gas and the outside air.
      In conductive ceramics: Thick-film and thin-film resistors and electrodes

      Examples of semimetallic ceramics are lead oxide (PbO), ruthenium dioxide (RuO2), bismuth ruthenate (Bi2Ru2O7), and bismuth iridate (Bi2Ir2O7). Like metals, these materials have overlapping electron energy bands and are therefore excellent electronic conductors. They are used as “inks” for screen printing resistors into thick-film microcircuits. Inks are pulverized

      Read More

applications

    • glassmaking
      • glass goblet; diamond-point engraving
        In glass: Optical and high-temperature glass

        …of superior tableware; by using lead monoxide (PbO) as a flux, it is possible to obtain a glass with a high refractive index and, consequently, the desired sparkle and brilliance.

        Read More
      • Figure 1: The state of atomic motion.
        In amorphous solid: Properties of oxide glasses

        …if lime is replaced by lead oxide (PbO) and if potash (K2O) is used as a partial replacement for soda, lead-alkali-silicate glasses result that have lower softening points than lime glasses. The refractive indices, dispersive powers, and electrical resistance of these glasses are generally much greater than those of soda-lime-silica…

        Read More
    • optical engineering
      • reflection of light
        In optics: Dispersion

        …of the glass: addition of lead oxide, for example, was found to raise both the refractive index and the dispersive power. In 1884 it was discovered that barium oxide had the effect of raising the refractive index without increasing the dispersion, a property that proved to be of the greatest…

        Read More
    • stage makeup
      • interior of a Kabuki theater
        In stagecraft: Western traditions

        …extent, painted their faces with lead oxide for a pale complexion and cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) for rouge. Both were poisonous compounds. With the widespread use of cosmetics, it was noticed that paler faces were easier to see in dim light. By the 1770s the use of white paint was general…

        Read More
    • storage batteries
      • electric force between two charges
        In electricity: Electromotive force

        …and a positive electrode of lead oxide (PbO2). Both the lead and lead oxide are in a solution of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and water (H2O). At the positive electrode, the chemical reaction is PbO2 + SO/4 + 4H+ + 2e → PbSO4 + 2H2O + (1.68 V). At the…

        Read More