Updated September 21, 2004

Lead is the metal that protected Superman from the devastating effects of kryptonite. Lead alloys are often used as solders in microwave electronics.

Lead in electronics has been banned in Europe, because it reduces IQ points when it gets into your brain. Any ban on hazardous materials is a good thing, but is a major problem, because the replacement plan is often to use pure tin plating, which can cause tin whiskers (see tin). Incidently, over 90% of all gasoline sold in Africa and the Middle East is still leaded, while over 30% of Asian and Latin American gasoline is also leaded. What's a few chip resistors? What about banning lead in car batteries? Ammunition? Fishing weights?

There is no similiar lead-in-electronics ban in the United States, but many component vendors are phasing out parts with lead anyway. Uncle Sam is going crazy, looking for military parts that don't contain pure tin plating!

Formula or Composition:	Pb
Bulk Resistivity:	20.65 -cm
Temperature Coefficient of Resistivity (TCR):	3400 ppm/°C
Mass Density:	11.34 gr/cc
Heat Capacity:	129.4 J/kg/°C
Thermal Conductivity (k):	35 W/m°C
Temperature Coefficient of Expansion (TCE):	29.1 ppm/°C
Melting Point, °C:	327 °C
Melting Point, °F:	621 °F