Cerussite

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Cerussite
Specific gravity
6.53–6.57
Optical propertiesBiaxial (−)
Refractive indexnα = 1.803, nβ = 2.074, nγ = 2.076
Birefringenceδ = 0.273
Other characteristicsMay fluoresce yellow under LW UV
References[2][3][4]

Cerussite (also known as lead carbonate or white lead ore) is a

W. Haidinger (1845). Miners' names in early use were lead-spar and white-lead-ore.[5]

Cerussite

specific gravity of 6.5. A variety containing 7% of zinc carbonate, replacing lead carbonate, is known as iglesiasite, from Iglesias in Sardinia, where it is found.[5]

The mineral may be readily recognized by its characteristic twinning, in conjunction with the adamantine lustre and high specific gravity. It dissolves with effervescence in dilute nitric acid. A blowpipe test will cause it to fuse very readily, and gives indications for lead.[5]

Finely crystallized specimens have been obtained from the

Broken Hill in New South Wales, and several other localities. Delicate acicular crystals of considerable length were found long ago in the Pentire Glaze mine near St Minver in Cornwall.[5] Cerussite is often found in considerable quantities, and has a lead content of up to 77.5%.[6]

Lead(II) carbonate is practically insoluble in neutral water (solubility product [Pb2+][CO32−] ≈ 1.5×10−13 at 25 °C), but will dissolve in dilute acids.

Commercial uses

"White lead" is the key ingredient in (now discontinued) lead paints. Ingestion of lead-based paint chips is the most common cause of lead poisoning in children.[7][8][9]

Both "white lead" and lead acetate have been used in cosmetics throughout history, though this practice has ceased in Western countries.[10]

Gallery

See also

  • Elizabeth I of England

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainSpencer, Leonard James (1911). "Cerussite". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 762.
  1. S2CID 235729616
    .
  2. ^ Mineralienatlas
  3. ^ Cerussite. Handbook of Mineralogy. (PDF) Retrieved on 2011-10-10.
  4. ^ Cerussite. Mindat. Retrieved on 2011-10-10.
  5. ^ a b c d Spencer 1911.
  6. ^ "Mineral Information Service" (PDF). California Division of Mines. November 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 4 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Lead Poisoning in Children". Archived from the original on September 25, 2006.
  8. ^ "California Poison Control System: Lead Poisoning". Archived from the original on 2007-01-14.
  9. PMID 10950212
    .
  10. ^ Gunn, Fenja. (1973). The Artificial Face: A History of Cosmetics. — as cited in Leisure Activities of an 18th Century Lady and Reading Our Lips: The History of Lipstick Regulation in Western Seats of Power Archived 2006-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Iconic: Light of the Desert". 2009-11-26. Retrieved 2012-07-25.

External links