White lead is the chemical compound (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2). It is a complex chemical compound, containing both a carbonate and a hydroxide portion. White lead occurs naturally as a mineral, in which context it is known as hydrocerussite, a hydrate of cerussite. It was formerly used as an ingredient for lead paint and a cosmetic called Venetian Ceruse, because its opaque quality and the satiny smooth mixture it made with driable oils it made a good pigment. However, it tended to cause lead poisoning, and its use has been banned in most countries.
White lead compounds were also used as lubricants for bearings and in machine shops, especially between work being turned in a lathe and a dead center.
Read more about White Lead: History, Paints, Other Synonyms (as An Art Pigment), See Also
Famous quotes containing the words white and/or lead:
“My age fallen away like white swaddling
Floats in the middle distance, becomes
An inhabited cloud.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“Well, the wedding is over, the good folks are joined for better for worse—a shocking clause that!—’tis preparing one to lead a long journey, and to know the path is not altogether strewed with roses.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)