Lead is the raw material for manufacturing batteries, cables, bullets and ammunition, as well as the additive of gasoline. Lead compounds are used as raw materials for pigments, glass, plastics and rubber. Because metal lead has excellent acid and alkali corrosion resistance, it is widely used in manufacturing chemical and metallurgical equipment. Lead alloy is used as bearing, movable type gold and solder. In addition, lead has also opened up some new uses. For example, it is used as a stabilizer of asphalt to prolong the service life of pavement; It is used for manufacturing shielding and nuclear waste storage tanks in nuclear power plants, high-power battery packs for load adjustment in electric power departments, and magnetic fluid dynamics devices.

Lead is very stable in SO2, it hardly interacts with pure CO2, and the corrosion of ordinary water to lead is very slight. Lead is easy to dissolve in nitric acid, borofluoric acid, silicofluoric acid and acetic acid, but difficult to dissolve in sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid at normal temperature. NH4OH solution or dilute NaOH solution with air can slowly dissolve lead. Lead can be dissolved in silver nitrate solution, and other nitrates and chlorides will corrode lead. Sulfates of potassium, sodium, iron, ammonia and potassium carbonate and cyanide solutions have no effect on lead.