It is believed that tin was known to mankind as early as the first millennium BC. There have been legends about its amazing properties at all times, which scientists were able to explain only in the 20th century, when they began to use X-ray analysis to study the properties of metals.
Since ancient times, people have noticed that tin products, for example, dishes, in the cold suddenly began to "get sick": they became covered with spots, and then "ulcers", which, growing, turned the thing into a gray powder. If a "cold" tin object was leaned against a "healthy" one, it also began to "hurt". This is how the concept called "tin plague" was born, from which sometimes not only things themselves, but also people suffered.
Much later, scientists found out that at temperatures below 13 degrees Celsius, tin from a plastic white metal gradually turns into a "dirty" powder. Its new modification, about which the researchers "told" the X-ray analysis, has a crystal lattice in which the atoms are bound less tightly. The lower the air temperature, the more intensive and faster the "tin plague" proceeds, reaching its maximum speed at 33 degrees below zero.
The Tin Plague and People
It is believed that the "tin plague" contributed a lot to the death of the British expedition "Terra Nova" led by Robert Scott, organized in 1911-1912 to the South Pole. Moving along the Antarctic ice to their goal, the polar explorers left warehouses with food and kerosene supplies. On the way back, the team discovered that the fuel tanks were empty, as they were sealed with tin, and he was struck by a mysterious destruction. Without kerosene, the exhausted members of the expedition could not keep warm and cook themselves hot food …
Even more impressive is the legend that the army of Napoleon Bonaparte suffered a complete defeat in Russia, because the uniforms of soldiers and officers had tin buttons. Of course, this circumstance could not play a decisive role in the tragedy of the French, but it significantly increased the suffering and losses of the Napoleonic army during the retreat during the severe Russian frosts. Chemistry teachers love to tell this legend in universities, although historians believe it has many weak points. For example, the fact that by that time the "tin plague" was well known in the northern countries of Europe is indisputable and the great strategist Napoleon simply could not ignore this. But, on the other hand, he did not foresee much, otherwise he simply would not have gone to Russia. So, as they say, there is no smoke without fire.
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Recent cases of the "tin plague"
Numerous legends about the "treachery" of metal confirm the documented cases. So, at the end of the 19th century, several carriages with tin ingots were sent from Holland to Moscow. But upon arrival in Russia, instead of bars of white metal, only gray, useless powder was found in the cars. Or another fact: at the beginning of the 20th century, a real scandal erupted around the military warehouses of St. Petersburg, when during the audit it turned out that there were no buttons on all uniforms and uniforms. They even wanted to put the warehouse workers on trial, but the examination of the strange gray powder on the clothes confirmed that this was the tin from which the buttons were made - the "tin plague" was working again.
In the end, humanity coped with this "disease" of the metal. Try to find a piece of pure tin today - you won't succeed. And even tin solder contains impurities of other metals, which easily prevent this amazing metamorphosis, peculiar only to tin. The most resistant alloy is considered to be pewter, which consists of 93 percent tin, 2 percent copper and 5 percent antimony. Household items, dishes, jewelry and so on are made from pewter. And even the famous Oscar statuettes and the America's Cup were cast from a pewter and only then covered with silver and gold. This is how the treacherous "tin plague" was defeated "…
Victoria Prime
