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Lead(II) oxide, also called lead monoxide, is the inorganic compound with the molecular formula PbO. PbO occurs in two polymorphs: litharge having a tetragonal crystal structure, and massicot having an orthorhombic crystal structure. Modern applications for PbO are mostly in lead-based industrial glass and industrial ceramics, including computer components. It is an amphoteric oxide.[3]
IUPAC name
Lead(II) oxide
Other names
Lead monoxide
Litharge
Massicot
Plumbous oxide
Galena
Preparation
PbO may be prepared by heating lead metal in air at approximately 600 °C (1,100 °F). At this temperature it is also the end product of oxidation of other oxides of lead in air:[4]
Thermal decomposition of lead(II) nitrate or lead(II) carbonate also results in the formation of PbO:
2 Pb(NO
3)
2 → 2 PbO + 4 NO
2 + O
2
PbCO
3 → PbO + CO2
PbO is produced on a large scale as an intermediate product in refining raw lead ores into metallic lead. The usual lead ore is galena (lead(II) sulfide). At a temperature of around 1,000 °C (1,800 °F) the sulfide is converted to the oxide:[5]
2 PbS + 3 O
2 → 2 PbO + 2 SO2
Metallic lead is obtained by reducing PbO with carbon monoxide at around 1,200 °C (2,200 °F):[6]
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