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Modern pencil "lead" is made from the element Carbon (C) - in its soft form of graphite - plus a filler (like clay), all ground up very fine and then stuck together with glue. It has none of the actual chemical element Lead (Pb).

Further information

The name "lead" is used because, before modern pencils were invented, it was known that a pure piece of the element Lead (Pb) can be used to make marks on wood or paper because it is very soft. It is not used today because real Lead and its compounds are poisonous and also very expensive compared to Carbon. (Carbon is basically soot.)

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13y ago

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