we all know that the periodic symbol for lead is pb but is it true that pb means plumbum and why??

Answer 1

yeah u r right!

Plumbum is in Latin.
The element Lead was discovered in ancient times about 3500 BC and was called so in Latin.
These metals were known to the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans.

The same name was adopted for the periodic table.
Elements like
Iron=Ferrum .
Copper=Cuprum.---- Cu
Silver = argentum ---- Ag
Gold =Aurum ---------- Au
Antimony = stibium --- Sb
potassium = Kallium--- K
sodium = Natrium ----- Na
all have latin equivalent symbols


The SYMBOLS are taken from their latin names!

I dunno the meaning of Plumbum though.

Since the pipes in ancient Rome were made of lead because of ease of castability , the english word plumber derives itself from this latin root.

Answer 2

Yes, it is also know as plumbum. The reason this is so is due to the fact that during Roman times, lead was used for various piping uses that's where the plumbum comes from, which I would assume simply means plumbing in Latin.

Answer 3

The chemical symbol for lead is Pb, from Latin plumbum. ... Note that the compositions of such alloys vary a little, but all will have similar properties. ...
www.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/lead.htm

and
Cobalt Co, Nickel Ni, Chromium Cr, Lead (Plumbum) Pb ... (This is true except for nuclear reactions, but Dalton didn't know about nuclear reactions at the ...
gpc.edu/~pgore/PhysicalScience/Atoms.html

Answer 4

The above answers are corrct.

Also plumbum is where we get the word plumber since the pipes were made out of lead.

Answer 5

yup, plumbum is the latin for lead, the french call lead plomb. shich makes their unleaded petrol sans-plomb.

Unfortunately plumbum has nothing to do with a purple rear end!

Answer 6

the Latin plumbum came from the Indogermanic languages in the suffix -bho-, often used for the names of animals and colours; thus to trace plumbum back to pl-on-bho and to include it in the family of the Greek πελιος [pelios] = bluish-black., the colour of mined lead.

Answer 7

Yes, it's true. Since lead was one of the first metals produced by man, plumbum was the generic name for soft white metals with low melting points, such as lead and tin, and later also bismuth and their alloys.

Answer 8

Yes, Pb stands for "plumbum," the Latin word for lead. Lead is one of a small number of elements that takes its chemical symbol from the element's name in Latin. Other Latin-based symbols include iron's Fe for "ferrum," potassium's K for "kalium," and sodium's Na for natrium. These are all elements that were known in antiquity to native speakers of Latin. Elements that were discovered in the modern era take their symbols from the elements names in English or French, because those have been the languages most widely used for international affairs. The names do not vary significantly between these two languages, so the symbols wouldn't be different.

Answer 9

Suppose somebody wanted to make a plumb bob and was looking for a heavy material and they found lead suitable and made a big plumb bob and dropped it on your head from a distance of 17 stories. Now what sound will it make? plumbum! Thats why

Answer 10

Lead

Atomic Number: 82
Atomic Symbol: Pb
Atomic Weight: 207.2
Electron Configuration: [Xe]6s24f145d106p2

History
(Anglo-Saxon lead; L. plumbum) Long known, mentioned in Exodus. The alchemists believed lead to be the oldest metal and associated with the planet Saturn. Native lead occurs in nature, but it is rare.

Sources
Lead is obtained chiefly from galena (PbS) by a roasting process. Anglesite, cerussite, and minim are other common lead minerals.

Properties
Lead is a bluish-white metal of bright luster, is very soft, highly malleable, ductile, and a poor conductor of electricity. It is very resistant to corrosion; lead pipes bearing the insignia of Roman emperors, used as drains from the baths, are still in service. It is used in containers for corrosive liquids (such as sulfuric acid) and may be toughened by the addition of a small percentage of antimony or other metals.

Forms
Natural lead is a mixture of four stable isotopes: 204Pb (1.48%), 206Pb (23.6%), 207Pb (22.6%), and 208Pb (52.3%). Lead isotopes are the end products of each of the three series of naturally occurring radioactive elements: 206Pb for the uranium series, 207Pb for the actinium series, and 208Pb for the thorium series. Twenty seven other isotopes of lead, all of which are radioactive, are recognized.

Lead
Its alloys include solder, type metal, and various antifriction metals. Great quantities of lead, both as the metal and as the dioxide, are used in storage batteries. Much metal also goes into cable covering, plumbing, ammunition, and in the manufacture of lead tetraethyl.

Uses
The metal is very effective as a sound absorber, is used as a radiation shield around X-ray equipment and nuclear reactors, and is used to absorb vibration. White lead, the basic carbonate, sublimed white lead, chrome yellow, and other lead compounds are used extensively in paints, although in recent years the use of lead in paints has been drastically curtailed to eliminate or reduce health hazards.
Lead oxide is used in producing fine "crystal glass" and "flint glass" of a high index of refraction for achromatic lenses. The nitrate and the acetate are soluble salts. Lead salts such as lead arsenate have been used as insecticides, but their use in recent years has been practically eliminated in favor of less harmful organic compounds.

Handling
Care must be used in handling lead as it is a cumulative poison. Environmental concerns with lead poisoning has resulted in a national program to eliminate the lead in gasoline.