Cerussite (Natural Lead White)

Product Details:

WARNING! CONTAINS LEAD. Please read the MSDS for cautionary statements.
Cerussite is natural lead carbonate and is close in composition to the artificial pigment lead white or flake white. Our pigment is from a source in Kazakhstan.

Pigment Names
Mineral Pigment:	English: cerusite, cerussite French: cerusite, cerussite German: Cerusit, Cerussit Spanish: cerusita, cerussita
Artificial Pigment:	English: Berlin white, cerusa, ceruse, cerrussa, Cremnitz white, flake white, Krems white, lead white, silver white, slate white, Vienna white, white lead French: Plomb carbonaté Plombe blanche All are names given to synthetic lead carbonate pigment
Synonyms:	English: acrusite, bly-spat, carbonate of lead, cerussa native, cerussa native, lead spar, minera plumbi spathacea, minera spathiforma alba, plomb spathique, plumbum acido aero mineralisatum, plumbum spathosum, spatum plumbi, white lead, white lead ore French: plomb carbonaté, plombe blanche German: Acrusit, Bleispath, Bly-Ochra, Blyspath, Kohlensaures Blei, Weißbleierz, Weissbleierz Greek: ψιρύθιου Spanish: acrusita

Origin and History
Although the natural mineral cerussite has rarely been noted in paintings, its synthetic counterpart, lead white, is considered to be the most important white pigment in paintings since the time of ancient Greece.

Source
The name of the mineral comes from Latin cerussa for whiting. The mineral is found in the oxidation zone of lead deposits usually associated with galena. Cerussite is sometimes found in association with another lead mineral, anglesite, a yellow colored, lead sulfate. Cerussite is a typical secondary mineral. It comes into being by the natural weathering of galenite. Sulfuric acid released in the process dissolves the surrounding carbonate rock, thereby releasing carbon dioxide to form cerussite. At first anglesite (PbSO₄) is formed but this mineral is soon transformed into cerussite when it comes into contact with carbonic acid in water. Lamellar or acicular crystals of white or gray color are formed. They have a very high luster due mostly to the lead content. Just as leaded crystal glass sparkles more brilliantly because of its lead content, so too does cerussite. Lead raises the refraction index of cerussite to just over 2.07. Because of its high refractive index, the hiding power of lead white, even in oil, is high. Lead is also responsible for its increased density or specific gravity. Cerussite has one of the highest densities for a mineral. It is over 6.5 times as dense as water. Most minerals average only around three times the density of water. We get our cerussite from a source in Kazakhstan.

Permanence and Compatibility
Despite cerussite being a carbonate, and hence sensitive to acids, it has an excellent record for permanence. It is unaffected by light. When applied in watercolor technique, however, traces of hydrogen sulfide in the air may cause it to turn black. Although lead white is theoretically incompatible with sulfide pigments, and should form black lead sulfide in contact with them, no examples are readily known. There might be some doubt, however, about mixing orpiment and realgar with lead white, although some identified cases show no discoloration.

Oil Absorption and Grinding
A special feature of lead white is its low oil-absorption rate. According to some it requires only 9 to 13 milliliters of oil to make a workable paste with 100 grams of lead white. It quickens the drying time of oil paints. It can be used with aqueous media such as egg tempera, gum Arabic (watercolor), and with animal glue. It can also be used in encaustic (wax) technique, but does not appear to perform well in true fresco technique.

Toxicity
Cerussite is toxic and care should be used in handling the dry powder pigment so as not to inhale its dust, as well as the pigment dispersed in medium.


Pigment: Cerussite (Kazakhstan)

Pigment Information
Color:	White
Colour Index:	Pigment White 1
Chemical Name:	Lead Carbonate
Chemical Name:	PbCO3
ASTM Lightfastness Rating
Acrylic:	I
Oil:	I
Watercolor:	Not Rated
Properties
Density:	6.53 - 6.57 g/cm3
Hardness (Mohs):	3.0–3.5
Refractive Index:	nα=1.803 nβ=2.074 nγ=2.076

Read cautions about handling pigments

Read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for this Product

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