Atomic Number: 50 Period Number: 5 Group Number: 14
Tin is a ductile and silvery-white metal. Tin obtained mainly from the mineral cassiterite. There are ten isotopes of tin and among them 120Sn is the most abundant one.
Tin has many uses. Electro-plating is an important application of tin. It can be done through the electroplating of a small coat of tin around objects of steel, copper, aluminum, etc. The tinned pieces have countless applications such as in kitchen utensils, spray recipients and shaving foam, ink cans, electronic components, integrated circuits, clips, pins and many others. Alloys of tin are also important, such as soft solder, pewter, bronze and phosphor bronze. The most important tin salt used is tin (II) chloride which is used as a reducing agent and as a mordant. Tin salts sprayed onto glass are used to produce electrically conductive coatings. Most window glass is made by floating molten glass on molten tin to produce a flat surface. Recently, a tin-niobium alloy that is superconductive at very low temperatures has attracted interest.
The more important tin compound is the tin dioxide (SnO2), used in electric resistors and dielectrics, and the tin monoxide that it is used in the production of tin salts for electroplating and as chemical reagents. Antimony tin oxide (ATO) is used for anti-static plastic image, paint, fabric photo, etc.
Physical and Chemical properties:
Atomic Weight: 118.710
Melting Point: 505.08 K
Boiling Point: 2875 K
Density: 7.287 g/cm3
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Element Classification: Metal
Ionization Energy: 7.344 eV
Oxidation States: +4, +2
See also:
Wikipedia - Basics on Tin
WebElements - The basic elements of Tin
Jefferson Lab - Learning about Tin
