Decomposition of tin at low temperature #science #experiments

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When cooled, for example in the cold outside, white tin converts to a-modification (gray tin) . Gray tin has the structure of diamond (cubic crystal lattice with parameter a = 0.6491 nm) . In gray tin, the coordination polyhedron of each atom is a tetrahedron with a coordination number of 4. The b-Sn a-Sn phase transition is accompanied by a 25.6% increase in specific volume (a-Sn density is 5.75 g/cm3), which leads to crumbling of tin into powder. In the olden days, scattering of pewter products observed during severe cold weather was called "tin plague". This "plague" caused the buttons on soldiers' uniforms, their buckles, cups, and spoons to fall apart, and the army might lose combat effectiveness. #science #experiment