Tin pest is an allotropic transformation of the element tin, which causes deterioration of tin objects at low temperatures. Tin pest has also been called tin disease, or tin leprosy (Lèpre d'etain). Jump to: navigation, search Example of allotropic materials: graphite vs. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 118. ...

It was observed in medieval Europe that the pipes of church pipe organs were affected in cool climates. As soon as the tin began decomposing, the process sped up, and seemed to feed on itself. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... Look up pipe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Jump to: navigation, search A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is part of the Pipe Organ Refactor Project. ...

The allotropic transformation

At 13.2 degrees Celsius (about 56 degrees Fahrenheit) and below, pure tin transforms from the (silvery, ductile) allotrope of β-modification white tin to brittle, α-modification grey tin. Eventually it decomposes into powder, hence the name tin pest. The degree Celsius (°C or ℃ (Unicode 0x2103)) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ... Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), who proposed it in 1724. ... Jump to: navigation, search Example of allotropic materials: graphite vs. ...

The decomposition will catalyze itself, which is why the reaction seems to speed up once it starts; the mere presence of tin pest leads to more tin pest. Tin objects at low temperatures will simply disintegrate. Jump to: navigation, search A catalyst (Greek: καταλύτης, catalytēs) is a substance that accelerates the rate (speed) of a chemical reaction without itself being transformed or consumed by the reaction (see also catalysis). ... Temperature is the physical property of a system which underlies the common notions of hot and cold; the material with the higher temperature is said to be hotter. ...

Supposed historical examples

Scott expedition to Antarctica

In 1910 British polar explorer Robert Scott hoped to be the first to reach the South Pole, but was beaten by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. On foot, the expedition trudged through the frozen deserts of the Antarctic, making for caches of food and kerosene deposited on the way in. In early 1912, at the first cache, there was no kerosene; the cans — soldered with tin — were empty. Members of the expedition later died in the cold and blizzards, only eleven miles from a massive depot of supplies. Jump to: navigation, search 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Antonio de Abreu (16th century Portuguese explorer of Indonesia) Charles Albanel (1616-1696), Canada Afonso de Albuquerque (16th century... Jump to: navigation, search Captain Robert Falcon Scott RN (June 6, 1868 - March 29, 1912) was a British Naval officer and Antarctic explorer. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location of the South Pole in the Antarctic continent. ... Jump to: navigation, search Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (July 16, 1872–June 18?, 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. ... Jump to: navigation, search A dune in the Egyptian desert Desert in California In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation - less than 250 mm per year. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ... Jump to: navigation, search Russian kerosene lamp Kerosene or paraffin (British English, not the same as the waxy solid of that name) is a colorless flammable hydrocarbon liquid. ... 1912 was a leap year starting on Monday. ... A solder is a fusible metal alloy (often of tin and lead, although lead-based solders were outlawed in many parts of the world in the 1980s), with a melting point or melting range below 450°C (840°F) and is melted to join metallic surfaces, especially in the... Jump to: navigation, search Blizzards are characterized by high winds and blinding precipitation Sudden blizzards can cause terrible damage to infrastructure as well as danger to human life. ...

The cause of the empty tins is unknown. Some observers blame poor quality soldering, although tin cans over eighty years old have been discovered in Antarctic buildings with the soldering in good condition. In any case, the lack of kerosene was just one factor in the deaths. One source observes,

The likely cause of death for Scott's polar party was some combination of scurvy, gangrene, starvation, dehydration, and hypothermia.

Napoleon's buttons

In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, but the invasion was thwarted by attrition and the burning of Moscow. Short of supplies and harried by Russian guerrilla tactics, Napoleon's grand army retreated in the deep of the Russian winter. The tin buttons his troops wore on their uniforms allegedly fell to pieces in the cold. An invasion force of 600,000 returned as only 22,000 men. 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: listen ▶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ...

Modern tin

Today tin casting and plating avoids tin pest. The tin is alloyed with small amounts of antimony or bismuth, which prevent the decomposition. Silver, indium, and lead have also been used. Jump to: navigation, search An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, which has a combination of at least two metals, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number antimony, Sb, 51 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous grey Atomic mass 121. ... General Name, Symbol, Number bismuth, Bi, 83 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 15, 6, p Appearance lustrous reddish white Atomic mass 208. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Atomic mass 107. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number indium, In, 49 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 114. ... Jump to: navigation, search General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ...

External links

• On Robert Scott's mission to the South Pole