Lead: Inorganic ChemistryBased in part on the article Lead: Inorganic Chemistry by Philip G. Harrison which appeared in theEncyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry, First Edition.

Abstract

This article covers basic chemistry of lead(II) including coordination geometries of halides, pseudohalides, oxides, carboxylates, thiolates, and nitrogen and/or phosphorus‐containing ligands. Coordination number around lead(II) ranges from 1 to 12 but is by no means comprehensive. Tetrahedral four‐coordination is observed only for lead(IV) compounds with bulky ligands. Lead forms halide complexes with both oxidation states but lead(IV) halides are much less stable then monomeric lead(II) halides. Like lead(II) halides, lead pseudohalides also form complexes with donor molecules and these complexes are irregular with high coordination number. Binary and ternary oxides of lead have found importance in electronic and technological applications, while polymeric lead(II) alkoxides [Pb(OR 2 )] are insoluble and poorly characterized. Ternary and mixed oxides of lead with perovskite structure are electroactive and are characterized by large dielectric constants. Lead(II) chalcogenides especially PbS, are photoconductors and widely used in photoelectric cells and IR detectors. Lead derivatives of oxyacids and organic acid, containing bivalent lead are extensively used in organic synthesis as oxidizing agents. The variable structure of highly coordinate lead(II) carboxylates and their complexes are characterized by intermolecular association. 207 Pb NMR and potentiometry have been widely employed for study of lead compounds in solution. Reduction of lead in liquid ammonia or direct fusion of various metals at 700°C results in the formation of anionic clusters. Such species have been identified with 207 Pb NMR in solution or recently by laser ablation in gaseous state.