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What
the name means:
The word tin has been used since Anglo
Saxon times. The symbol for the element tin
is Sn. This originates from the Latin word,
stannum. The word stannum itself
derives from an Indo-European word stag
or stagnum, meaning “dripping”. Tin
was probably described like this because it
melts easily.
Who
identified
tin? Tin is one
of the oldest metals to be used by man.
Tools from 3500 BC have been found to
contain tin. Since tin is too soft to be
used on its own, early man learned to mix
it with other metals. It was the use of the
alloy formed when tin and copper are fused
together that gave its name to the Bronze
Age. Tin mining started over 4000 years
ago. The last tin mine in Cornwall, UK was
closed down in 1998.
About
tin: Useful
alloys of tin are solder, pewter and
bronze. Tin can be used to coat steel cans
to prevent corrosion. Since tin is toxic to
some invertebrates, it is present in
solutions used to cover the hulls of ships
to prevent barnacles attaching themselves
to the surface. |
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