New version of this page available at digitalfire.com: Click here to go now

GALENA

Miscellaneous

Family: None
Region: None
Mined At: Unspecified
Raw Mineral: Yes
Generic: No

Notes

(Richard Willis)

Mineral, of the ideal form PbS with a typical empirical analysis of Pb 86.60%, S 13.40%
Hardness: 2.5+ Density: 7.2-6 Soluble in HNO₃ and HCl
The principal ore of lead; but owing to its hard metallic form and sulfur content it is infrequently used as is — in need of crushing, milling and calcinating — antique recipes calling for a lead ash ingredient most certainly were referring to this prerequisite.