Though our ancestors believed that tin plague was caused by witchcraft, we now know that it is caused by a change in the structure of the metal. After scientific studies, metallurgists found that tin- and some other metals too – has different crystalline forms at different temperatures.
At normal temperatures, the crystals that make up the metal are stable. The metal exists in the form of white tin in normal temperatures. But, when the temperature drops below 13 degrees, the crystals take a new form; the internal stresses caused by the change in temperature causes the metal to disintegrate into a grey powder. After many experiments, scientists found out that this condition can be corrected with an ‘injection’ of a substance called bismuth.
When bismuth is added to tin, it stabilizes the metal so that the tin crystals will no longer become unstable and disintegrate when exposed to severe cold. Tin can also be stabilized using antimony, another element.
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