[Zolotov]

Hi,

I have read that lead (Pb) is mostly unreactive with hydrochloric acid at room temperature. But what temperature do I have to reach to dissolve it in HCl and get a completely transparent solution?

And another question, how much will it take (in hours), to dissolve 200g of soldering wire (50% tin, 50% lead) completely in (30%) HCl ?

TIA 

[Arkcon]

What compound do you expect to get when lead reacts with HCl?  Can you look up its properties, and see the problem you may face?

[Corribus]

To answer your second question, it's impossible to generalize. Rates of biphasic reactions depend significantly on, for example, the particle size of the solid reactant. I.e., lead in powder or shot form will react differently than lead in wire form or in large chunks. 200 g of wire in 18 gauge will react different than 200 g of wire in 22 gauge. Etc. This is something you'll just have to measure experimentally.