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Gold and Lead – Comparison – Properties

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

gold and lead - comparison

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Gold and Lead – About Elements

Gold

Gold is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Gold is thought to have been produced in supernova nucleosynthesis, from the collision of neutron stars.

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.

Gold in Periodic Table

Lead in Periodic Table

Source: www.luciteria.com

Gold and Lead – Applications

Gold

Gold is used extensively in jewellery, either in its pure form or as an alloy. About 75% of all gold produced is used in the jewelry industry. Pure gold is too soft to stand up to the stresses applied to many jewelry items. Craftsmen learned that alloying gold with other metals such as copper, silver, and platinum would increase its durability. The term ‘carat’ indicates the amount of gold present in an alloy. 24-carat is pure gold, but it is very soft. 18- and 9-carat gold alloys are commonly used because they are more durable. Gold’s high malleability, ductility, resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conductivity of electricity have led to its continued use in corrosion resistant electrical connectors in all types of computerized devices (its chief industrial use). Gold is also used in infrared shielding, colored-glass production, gold leafing, and tooth restoration. Only 10% of the world consumption of new gold produced goes to industry, but by far the most important industrial use for new gold is in fabrication of corrosion-free electrical connectors in computers and other electrical devices.

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.

Gold and Lead – Comparison in Table

Element Gold Lead
Density 19.3 g/cm3 11.34 g/cm3
Ultimate Tensile Strength 220 MPa 17 MPa
Yield Strength 205 MPa 5.5 MPa
Young’s Modulus of Elasticity 79 GPa 16 GPa
Mohs Scale 2.75 1.5
Brinell Hardness 190 MPa 38 MPa
Vickers Hardness 215 MPa N/A
Melting Point 1064 °C 327.5 °C
Boiling Point 2970 °C 1740 °C
Thermal Conductivity 320 W/mK 35 W/mK
Thermal Expansion Coefficient 14.2 µm/mK 28.9 µm/mK
Specific Heat 0.128 J/g K 0.13 J/g K
Heat of Fusion 12.55 kJ/mol 4.799 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization 334.4 kJ/mol 177.7 kJ/mol