Question

Is lead a transition metal?

Answer 1

Transition elements are those elements which partially fill d and f block subshells. They occupy the middle part of the periodic table and situate between the left-hand side groups and right-hand side groups.

Complete step-by-step answer: A transition metal is an element with a partially – filled d subshell atom, or which can give rise to cations that have an incomplete d subshell.
Basically, transition metals refer to the d-block elements. However, a few 2B elements such as cadmium, zinc, and mercury are often regarded as the defined elements due to their similar properties. Moreover, the elements of f block are also known as inner transition elements.
Now, lead is a chemical element with symbol ‘Pb’ and atomic number 82. It is not considered as a transition metal but is classified as a post – transition metal.

Additional information: Lead has a vivid lustrous bluish-white color. It is very soft, incredibly malleable, ductile and a weak conductor of electricity. It is extremely corrosion resistant. It is solid at room temperature.

Note: The second and third-row elements of the periodic table gradually show changes in properties if we move from left to right across the table. The outer shells of these elements have negligible shielding effects that increase effective nuclear charge as more protons add to the nucleus. This causes an effect on atomic properties such as increased ionization energy, smaller atomic radius, enhanced electronegativity and other non-metallic characters.