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Cadmium and Lead – Comparison – Properties

This article contains comparison of key thermal and atomic properties of cadmium and lead, two comparable chemical elements from the periodic table. It also contains basic descriptions and applications of both elements. Cadmium vs Lead.

cadmium and lead - comparison

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Cadmium and Lead – About Elements

Cadmium

Cadmium is a soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. In nuclear industry cadmium is commonly used as a thermal neutron absorber due to very high neutron absorption cross-section of 113Cd. 113Cd has specific absorption cross-section.

Lead

Lead is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and has a relatively low melting point. Lead is widely used as a gamma shield. Major advantage of lead shield is in its compactness due to its higher density. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and concludes three major decay chains of heavier elements.

Cadmium in Periodic Table

Lead in Periodic Table

Source: www.luciteria.com

Cadmium and Lead – Applications

Cadmium

Cadmium is primarily consumed for the production of rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries. In 2009, 86% of cadmium was used in batteries, predominantly in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. Other end uses include pigments, coatings and plating, and as stabilizers for plastics. Solar cell manufacturing may become another significant market for cadmium in the future. In nuclear industry cadmium is commonly used as a thermal neutron absorber due to very high neutron absorption cross-section of 113Cd. 113Cd has specific absorption cross-section.

Lead

Lead metal has several useful mechanical properties, including high density, low melting point, ductility, and relative inertness. Lead is widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation protection and in some solders. The largest use of lead in the early 21st century is in lead–acid batteries. The lead in batteries undergoes no direct contact with humans, so there are fewer toxicity concerns. Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing material to prevent water diffusion into insulation; this use is decreasing as lead is being phased out. A lead is widely used as a gamma shield. Major advantage of lead shield is in its compactness due to its higher density. On the other hand depleted uranium is much more effective due to its higher Z. Depleted uranium is used for shielding in portable gamma ray sources.

Cadmium and Lead – Comparison in Table

Element Cadmium Lead
Density 8.65 g/cm3 11.34 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength 75 MPa 17 MPa
Yield Strength N/A 5.5 MPa
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity 50 GPa 16 GPa
Mohs Scale 2 1.5
Brinell Hardness 303 MPa 38 MPa
Vickers Hardness N/A N/A
Melting Point 321.07 °C 327.5 °C
Boiling Point 767 °C 1740 °C
Thermal Conductivity 97 W/mK 35 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient 30.8 µm/mK 28.9 µm/mK
Specific Heat 0.23 J/g K 0.13 J/g K
Heat of Fusion 6.192 kJ/mol 4.799 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization 99.57 kJ/mol 177.7 kJ/mol