Lead fluoride (Pb

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

F₂

Fluorine

Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...

) is a chemical compound

Chemical compound

A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...

 that is an odorless white solid.

Conditions/substances to avoid are: strong oxidizers.

Uses

Lead(II) fluoride is used:

• in low melting glass
  Glass
  Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
  
  es
• in glass coatings to reflect infrared
  Infrared
  Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
  
   rays
• in phosphors for television-tube screens
• as a catalyst for the manufacture of picoline
  Picoline
  Picoline refers to three different methylpyridine isomers, all with the chemical formula C6H7N and a molar mass of 93.13 g mol−1. All three are colourless liquids at room temperature and pressure and are miscible with water and most organic solvents...
  
  

Preparation

Lead(II) fluoride can be prepared by several methods. It is obtained by treating lead(II) hydroxide

Lead(II) hydroxide

Lead hydroxide, Pb2, is a hydroxide of lead, with lead in oxidation state +2. Although it appears a fundamentally simple compound, it is doubtful if lead hydroxide is stable as a solid phase. Lead basic carbonate or lead oxide is encountered in practice where lead hydroxide is expected...

 or lead(II) carbonate with hydrofluoric acid

Hydrofluoric acid

Hydrofluoric acid is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water. It is a valued source of fluorine and is the precursor to numerous pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine and diverse materials such as PTFE ....

, followed by evaporation of the solution:

Pb(OH)₂ + 2 HF → PbF₂ + 2 H₂O

Alternatively, it is precipitated by adding hydrofluoric acid to a lead(II) salt solution, or by adding potassium fluoride

Potassium fluoride

Potassium fluoride is the chemical compound with the formula KF. After hydrogen fluoride, KF is the primary source of the fluoride ion for applications in manufacturing and in chemistry. It is an alkali metal halide and occurs naturally as the rare mineral carobbiite...

 to a lead(II) nitrate

Lead(II) nitrate

Lead nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Pb2. It commonly occurs as a colourless crystal or white powder and, unlike most other lead salts, is soluble in water....

solution.

2 KF + Pb(NO₃)₂ → PbF₂ + 2 KNO₃