tin disease
Noun: A physical phenomenon, also known as tin pest or tin plague, describing the allotropic transformation of the metallic, silvery-white form of tin (beta-tin) into a brittle, powdery, non-metallic grey form (alpha-tin) at temperatures below approximately 13.2°C (55.8°F). This process is autocatalytic and can cause tin objects to crumble.
The term is used in metallurgy, materials science, and historical contexts to describe a specific type of structural failure in tin and tin-rich alloys. - It is typically used as a non-count noun. - It often appears in technical or historical discussions about material degradation.
- Noun:
- The long-lost expedition's tin buttons were found disintegrated due to tin disease.
- Tin disease was a contributing factor in the failure of some early polar exploration equipment.
- Conservators must control the storage temperature of tin artifacts to prevent tin disease.
- "to succumb to tin disease": to undergo the transformation process.
- The old organ pipes slowly succumbed to tin disease in the unheated cathedral.
- The process is often discussed in the context of the "tin cry", the sound made when bending tin, which disappears as the metal transforms.
- Tin pest (noun): A direct synonym for tin disease.
- Tin plague (noun): Another common synonym emphasizing the destructive nature.
- Allotropic transformation (noun phrase): The general scientific process of which tin disease is a specific example.
- Tin pest
- Tin plague
- Beta-to-alpha tin transition (technical term)
Note: As a technical/scientific term, "tin disease" is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. Its usage is literal. - "To catch the tin pest": A colloquial, personifying way to say an object is undergoing the transformation. - Be careful storing that statue in the cellar, or it might catch the tin pest.
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the transformation of ordinary white tin into powdery grey tin at very cold temperatures
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