Lead(II) perchlorate is a chemical compound with the formula Pb(ClO4)2·xH2O, where is x is 0,1, or 3. It is an extremely hygroscopic white solid that is very soluble in water.[1]

Preparation

Lead perchlorate trihydrate is produced by the reaction of lead(II) oxide, lead carbonate, or lead nitrate by perchloric acid:

Pb(NO3)2 + HClO4 → Pb(ClO4)2 + HNO3

The excess perchloric acid was removed by first heating the solution to 125 °C, then heating it under moist air at 160 °C to remove the perchloric acid by converting the acid to the dihydrate. The anhydrous salt, Pb(ClO4)2, is produced by heating the trihydrate to 120 °C under water-free conditions over phosphorus pentoxide. The trihydrate melts at 83 °C.[1] The anhydrous salt decomposes into lead(II) chloride and a mixture of lead oxides at 250 °C.[1][2] The monohydrate is produced by only partially dehydrating the trihydrate, and this salt undergoes hydrolysis at 103 °C.[3]

The solution of anhydrous lead(II) perchlorate in methanol is explosive.[1]

Applications

Lead perchlorate has a high nucleon density, making it a viable detector for hypothetical proton decay.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d H. H. Willard; J. L. Kassner (1930). "PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF LEAD PERCHLORATE". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 52 (6). ACS Publications: 2391–2396. doi:10.1021/ja01369a027.
  2. ^ Zinov'ev, A. A.; and Kritsov, N. V. (1960). Zhur. Neorg. Khim. issue 5: p. 1418, as cited in Giridharan, A. S.; Udupa, M. R.; Aravamudan, G. (February 1975). "Thermal behaviour of thallous perchlorate". Journal of Thermal Analysis. 7 (1): 65–71. doi:10.1007/BF01911626. ISSN 0022-5215.
  3. ^ A. V. Dudin (1993). "Water-vapor pressure and thermodynamics of the dehydration of manganese, nickel, cadmium, and lead perchlorate hydrates". Russian Chemical Bulletin. 42: 417–421. doi:10.1007/BF00698419.
  4. ^ Boyd, R. N.; Rauscher, T.; Reitzner, S. D.; Vogel, P. (2003-10-31). "Observing nucleon decay in lead perchlorate". Physical Review D. 68 (7). arXiv:hep-ph/0307280. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.68.074014. ISSN 0556-2821.