Tin

Tin is a silvery white metal which is soft and pliable, and which emits the characteristic sound of "tin cry" when bent. It is a relatively common element, its abundance being 2.2 ppm in the earth’s crust. Its principal ore is cassiterite, SnO2 , from which the metal is obtained by reduction. Tin forms a stable oxide coating on its surface which makes it unreactive in water; however, it is soluble in both acids and alkalis, and reacts readily with halogens. As tin has good chemical resistance, it is used as a coating of other metals to prevent corrosion, the coating of steel to produce tin plate being an important example of this application. Tin is widely used in the manufacture of soft solders where it is alloyed with other elements to produce a wide range of alloys with different characteristics. Tin is also a constituent of bronzes, pewter, certain bearing materials and fusible alloys.

Symbol

Sn

Discovered

Known and used by ancient civilisations.

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Atomic number	50		Clip
Atomic / Molecular Weight	118.71	gmol-1	Clip
Density	7285	kgm-3	Clip
Crystal Structure	cub / bcc		Clip
Lattice constant	583	fm	Clip
Melting Point	505.1281	K	Clip
Boiling Point	2993	K	Clip
Tensile strength	30000000	Nm-2	Clip
Linear expansivity	0.000022	K-1	Clip
Specific heat capacity	218	Jkg-1K-1	Clip
Thermal conductivity	65 to 68	Wm-1K-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (longitudinal bulk waves)	3380	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Irrotational waves)	2626	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Shear waves)	1594	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Rayleigh waves)	1491	ms-1	Clip
Bulk Modulus of Rigidity	58200000000	Nm-2	Clip
Electromotive Series	0.14	V	Clip

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See also: Fields Metal, Periodic Table, Pewter, Tin II Fluoride, Tin II Oxide, Tin IV Fluoride, Tin IV Hydride, Tin IV Oxide.