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Red lead and litharge being mixed in the manufacture of storage batteries

The workman is wearing a respirator but should also protect himself with long-wristed gloves. Lead(II,IV) oxide, also called red lead or minium, is an inorganic compound with the formula Pb3O4. A bright red or orange solid litharge is a red lead mineral, one of the natural mineral forms of lead(II) oxide, PbO. Litharge is also a secondary mineral that forms from the oxidation of galena ores. PbO may be prepared by heating lead metal or other lead oxides in air at approximately 600°C (lead melts at 300°C). This is often done with a set of bellows pumping air over the molten lead, causing the oxidized product to slip or fall off the top into a receptacle, where it quickly solidifies in minute scales. (Source: Rosenau MJ. Preventive medicine and hygiene. Third edition. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1917:1037. Public domain.)