Reaction of lead with acids. Lead reacts slowly with hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, HNO 3. The minerals galena (lead sulfide, PbS), cerussite (lead carbonate, PbCO3), and anglesite (lead sulfate, PbSO4) often contain zinc, gold, silver, and other metals. The problem, Principe says, is that the alchemists did not yet know that lead and gold were different atomic elements—the periodic table was still hundreds of years away. Standard electrode potentials (ESCRJ). Lead cannot be magically turned into gold. Lead is a relatively unreactive post-transition metal. The product contains about 99.5% lead, the remaining 0.5% being mostly antimony and silver with smaller amounts of other metals, including gold. Lead nitrate has been used as a heat stabiliser in nylon and polyesters, as a coating for photothermographic paper, and in rodenticides. In a supernova gold may be made into lead, but not the other way around. Because it contains silver and gold at this stage, the lead is referred to as bullion lead. Reaction of metals with water Some metals also react with water, but like their reaction with oxygen, they react in different ways. The fluxes form a molten slag of metal oxides and silicates which floats on top. Heating lead nitrate is convenient means of making nitrogen dioxide. Gold… The handy home test for lead in lipstick touted in the message is bogus. Pb(NO 3) 2 → PbO 2 + 2 NO 2. Links The Reactivity Series Revision Questions gcsescience.com The Periodic Table Index Reactivity Series Quiz gcsescience.com Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and three of its isotopes are endpoints of major nuclear decay chains of heavier elements. While it may never be commonplace to transmute lead into gold, it is practical to obtain gold from lead ores. Lead cannot be turned into gold. In order to use the hydrogen electrode, it needs to be attached to the electrode system that you are investigating. In the gold cyanidation process, addition of lead(II) nitrate solution improves the leaching process. Note that the reaction between iron and steam is reversible. Okay, so we are not truly dissolving the gold, we are actually forming an alloy between the gold and the mercury (called an amalgam). Nuclear experiments have successfully transmuted lead into gold, but the expense far exceeds any gain. The main aim for adding lead nitrate is to help in Gold dissolution in CIL plants. Should the gold solid tails be the main aim for dosing lead … We can write half reactions for this total reaction: Oxidation 4 Fe -> 4 Fe 3+ + 12 e-Reduction 3 O 2 + 12 e--> 6 O 2- Some metals are more stable in their elemental state than others.