Tin of protons. It has two main allotropes: at room temperature, the stable allotrope is β-tin, a silvery-white, malleable metal, but at low temperatures it transforms into the less dense grey α-tin, which has the diamond cubic structure. Metallic tin does not easily oxidize in air. The first tin alloy used on a large scale was bronze, made of tin and copper, from as early as 3000 BC. After 600 BC, pure metallic tin was produced. Pewter, which is an alloy of 85–90% tin with the remainder commonly consisting of copper, antimony, and lead, was used for flatware from the Bronze
Antimicrobial copper-alloy touch surfaces in April 2011 analyzed the effectiveness of copper-alloy furnishings to lessen the microbial load on various frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, toilet seats, and railings. Of the 14 surfaces tested 8 had statistically significant decreases in the number of microbes found on them while the other 6 had a decrease in the number of microbes as well, but not in a statistically significant amount. Additionally certain microbes in particular were found in far less quantities on the copper-alloy surfaces than on the normal ones, these being Vancomycin-resistant "Enterococcus", "Staphylococcus aureus", and Coliform bacteria. The study concluded that copper