Plumbum nigrum

In the first century of the present era, the Latins referred to tin as plumbum album to distinguish it from lead, which they called plumbum nigrum (16). Pliny and Dioscorides mentioned the use of tin coatings to prevent corrosion of copper vessels (17). 

Lead, plumbum nigrum, its occurrence in connection with silver, its uses in making certain bronzes, for making lead water pipes, and in sheet form, are described by Pliny. Its oxide (Pb 0) is described under the names of molyb-daena, lithargyros, and galena, as the product of roasting lead in the air, and as produced in the furnaces where silver and gold are smelted. White lead (cerussa) and our red lead were also known and described by Pliny, much as by authorities already quoted. 

In contrast to germanium the exposure of mankind to tin and lead was much earlier and not so dramatic18-21,28. These two elements belong to the seven main elements known to ancient man40. Up to the seventeenth century, tin and lead were often confused, as is witnessed by their Latin names, i.e. Plumbum album, Plumbum candidum (Sn) and Plumbum nigrum (Pb). Tin was known in countries of the Near East at least from the middle of the third millennium BC. Lead became known to the Egyptians at the same time as iron and silver, and very probably earlier than tin19,28. 

Lead has been used since perhaps 3000 to 4000 BC. The Egyptians in the Sinai mined lead, and it was used for making glazes for pottery and vessels to hold liquids. The Romans used the name plumbum nigrum for lead, and the symbol Pb comes from the Latin name, plumbum. Many words such as plumbing, plumber, and plumb bob come from the name for the element. 

Pliny, writing at the beginning of the Christian era (see note p. 18) was familiar with both tin and lead he referred to lead as plumbum nigrum, whilst tin was plumbum album or candidum. Nevertheless, he seemed to regard them as varieties of the same metal rather than as separate species. Plumbum by itself invariably meant lead the word stannum or stagmum sometimes meant tin and sometimes an alloy of lead and silver. 

Julius Caesar wrote in his Commentaries on the War in Gaul that tin was produced in Britaimia. During the first century of our chronology, tin was plumbum album (white lead), while lead was plumbum nigrum (black lead). Tin articles had by now become common. PHny also described the use of tin coating of copper pots as corrosion protection. 

Discovery Upto the 1500s miners and chemists were of the opinion that there were three types of lead, i.e. common lead, tin and bismuth. In addition, antimony was a special form of bismuth. Agricola had another approach. Bismuth was neither plumbum candidum (tin) nor plumbum nigrum (lead). It was bisemutum, a metal in its own right, different from all others. 

In the book of Numbers in the Bible s Old Testament, tin is mentioned as a metal of value under the name bedil. The ancient Indian author Veda refers to tin as trapu. Objects made of tin have been found in the tombs of ancient Egypti, and the tin-copper alloy bronze has been used from ancient times. Caesar, recording the presence of tin in Britain, referred to it as plumbum album as also did Pliny, to distinguish it from lead, which was plumbum nigrum. 

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