What exactly is your tin can made of?
Well, it isn’t just tin. In fact, with the exception of decorative items, few things in human history have been made of just tin — and that’s because tin is so soft. It’s only solid until it hits about 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and at just 55 degrees, it becomes crumbly and powdery. The real superpower of tin is that it’s great in combination with other metals, making them more malleable and therefore useful. Combined with last week’s element, copper, tin makes bronze. And bronze was kind of a big deal back around 3000 BCE. 🙂
So what we call a “tin can” is usually made of aluminum or steel coated with tin. And that’s a good thing, because “Kick the Can” wouldn’t be half as fun if the can in question crumpled to the ground as soon as your foot hit it. 🙂
Selected Resources
Dingle, Adrian, and Dan Green. The Complete Periodic Table. Basher Science. Kingfisher, NY: 2015. (Yes, this is the same book from last week, but don’t worry, we won’t go through each and every entry for the elements!)
