Lead(II) chromate is an

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

with the

chemical formula A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as pare ...

. It is a bright yellow salt that is very poorly soluble in water. It occurs also as the mineral crocoite. It is used as a pigment.

Structure

Two polymorphs of lead chromate are known, orthorhombic and the more stable monoclinic form. Monoclinic lead chromate is used in paints under the name chrome yellow, and many other names. Lead chromate adopts the monazite structure, meaning that the connectivity of the atoms is very similar to other compounds of the type . Pb(II) has a distorted coordination sphere being surrounded by eight oxides with Pb-O distances ranging from 2.53 to 2.80 Å. The chromate anion is tetrahedral, as usual. Unstable polymorphs of lead chromate are the greenish yellow orthorhombic form and a red-orange tetragonal form.

Applications

Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers - VGM F458

Approximately 37,000 tons were produced in 1996. The main applications are as a pigment in paints, under the name chrome yellow.

Preparation

Lead(II) chromate can be produced by treating sodium chromate with lead salts such as lead(II) nitrate or by combining

lead(II) oxide Lead(II) oxide, also called lead monoxide, is the inorganic compound with the molecular formula Pb O. It occurs in two polymorphs: litharge having a tetragonal crystal structure, and massicot having an orthorhombic crystal structure. Modern ...

with

chromic acid Chromic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is also a jargon for a solution formed by the addition of sulfuric acid to aqueous solutions of dichromate. It consists at least in part of chromium trioxide. The term "chromic ...

. Related lead sulfochromate pigments are produced by the replacement of some chromate by sulfate, resulting in a mixed lead-chromate-sulfate compositions . This replacement is possible because sulfate and chromate are isostructural. Since sulfate is colorless, sulfochromates with high values of ''x'' are less intensely colored than lead chromate. In some cases, chromate is replaced by

molybdate In chemistry, a molybdate is a compound containing an oxyanion with molybdenum in its highest oxidation state of +6: . Molybdenum can form a very large range of such oxyanions, which can be discrete structures or polymeric extended structures, ...

Reactions

Heating in

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. It ...

solution produces

chrome red Chrome orange is a mixed oxide with the chemical formula Pb2CrO5. It can be made by treating a lead(II) salt with an alkaline solution of a Chromate and dichromate, chromate or by treating chrome yellow (PbCrO4) with strongly basic solution.. ...

, a red or orange powder made by PbO and . Also, in

solution lead chromate slowly dissolves forming plumbite complex. :

Safety hazards

Despite containing both

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

hexavalent chromium Hexavalent chromium (chromium(VI), Cr(VI), chromium 6) is any chemical compound that contains the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state (thus hexavalent). It has been identified as carcinogenic, which is of concern since approximately of ...

, lead chromate is not acutely lethal because of its very low solubility. The

LD50 In toxicology, the median lethal dose, LD50 (abbreviation for "lethal dose, 50%"), LC50 (lethal concentration, 50%) or LCt50 is a toxic unit that measures the lethal dose of a given substance. The value of LD50 for a substance is the dose requ ...

for rats is only 5,000 mg/kg. Lead chromate must be treated with great care in its manufacture, the main concerns being dust of the chromate precursor. Lead chromate is highly regulated in advanced countries. As one of the greatest threats comes from inhalation of particles, so much effort has been devoted to production of low-dust forms of the pigment. In the 1800s, the product was used to impart a bright yellow color to some types of

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

. It is used (illegally) to enhance the color of certain spices, particularly

turmeric Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high ...

, particularly in Bangladesh. Unlike other lead-based paint pigments, lead chromate is still widely used, especially in road marking paint. In 2023 and 2024, consumption of adulterated

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

led to at least 136 cases of

toxicity in children in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as reported by the US

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

. The affected products were recalled. The US

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

determined that the ratio of lead to chromium in the cinammon indicated that lead chromate had been added to the cinnamon.

References