Lead sulfate (British English sulphate) (PbSO₄) is a white crystal or powder. It is also known as fast white, milk white, sulfuric acid lead salt or anglesite.

It is often seen in the plates/electrodes of car batteries

Lead-acid battery

Lead–acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of rechargeable battery. Despite having a very low energy-to-weight ratio and a low energy-to-volume ratio, their ability to supply high surge currents means that the cells maintain a relatively large...

, as it is formed when the battery is discharged (when the battery is recharged, then the lead sulfate is transformed back to metallic lead and sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...

 on the negative terminal or lead dioxide and sulfuric acid on the positive terminal). Lead sulfate is poorly soluble

Solubility

Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. The solubility of a substance fundamentally depends on the used solvent as well as on...

 in water.

Toxicology

Lead sulfate is toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. It is a cumulative poison, and repeated exposure may lead to anemia, kidney damage, eyesight damage or damage to the central nervous system (especially in children). Some lead salts may cause reproductive defects and cardiovascular disturbances. It is also corrosive - contact with the eyes can lead to severe irritation or burns. Typical threshold limit value

Threshold Limit Value

The threshold limit value of a chemical substance is a level to which it is believed a worker can be exposed day after day for a working lifetime without adverse health effects. Strictly speaking, TLV is a reserved term of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists...

 (above which the substance is harmful) is 0.15 mg/m³.

Mineral

The naturally occurring mineral anglesite

Anglesite

Anglesite is a lead sulfate mineral with the chemical formula PbSO4. It occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena. Anglesite occurs as prismatic orthorhombic crystals and earthy masses, and is isomorphous with barite and celestine. It contains 74% of lead by mass and...

, PbSO₄, occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena

Galena

Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...

.

Basic and hydrogen lead sulfates

A number of lead basic sulfates are known: PbSO₄·PbO; PbSO₄·2PbO; PbSO₄·3PbO; PbSO₄·4PbO. They are used in manufacturing of active paste for lead acid batteries. A related mineral is leadhillite

Leadhillite

Leadhillite is a lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral, often associated with anglesite. It has the formula Pb4SO422.Leadhillite crystallizes in the monoclinic system, but forms pseudo-hexagonal forms due to crystal twinning. It forms transparent to translucent variably colored adamantine crystals...

, 2PbCO₃·PbSO₄·Pb(OH)₂.

At high concentration of sulfuric acid (>80%), hydrogen lead sulfate, Pb(HSO₄)₂, forms.

External links

• Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM): Lead Toxicity
• ToxFAQs: Lead
• National Pollutant Inventory - Lead and Lead Compounds Fact Sheet