Tin
Understanding the Elements of the Periodic Table
Women in Great Britain used make-up containing tin to get a pale look that was fashionable in the time of the ancient Roman Empire. An illness called tin disease was caused by church organ pipes during the Middle Ages. Students read about the metal tin's chemical and physical properties, its place on the periodic table, tin allotropes and compounds (inorganic and organic) and how elemental tin and most inorganic compounds are nontoxic but that organic tin compounds can be poisonous. They also learn about the many uses of tin in their everyday life, at home and in school.