tin

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Soft, silver-white, malleable and somewhat ductile, metallic element, symbol Sn, atomic number 50, relative atomic mass 118.69. Its chemical symbol comes from the Latin stannum. Tin exhibits allotropy, having three forms: the familiar lustrous metallic form above 13.2°C/55.8°F, a brittle form above 161°C/321.8°F, and a grey powder form below 13.2°C/55.8°F (commonly called tin pest or tin disease). The metal is quite soft (slightly harder than lead) and can be rolled, pressed, or hammered into extremely thin sheets; it has a low melting point. In nature it occurs rarely as a free metal. It resists corrosion and is therefore used for coating and plating other metals.

Tin and copper smelted together form the oldest desired alloy, bronze; since the Bronze Age (3500 BC) that alloy has been the basis of both useful and decorative materials. Tin is also alloyed with metals other than copper to make solder and pewter. It was recognized as an element by Antoine Lavoisier, but the name is very old and comes from the Germanic form Zinn. The mines of Cornwall were the principal Western source of tin until the 19th century, when rich deposits were found in South America, Africa, South-East Asia, and Australia. Tin production is concentrated in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, and Bolivia.