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- Name : Tin
- Symbol : Sn
- Atomic # : 50
- Atom weight: 118.69
- Melting P. : 231.97
- Boiling P. : 2270
- Oxidation : +2, +4
- Pronounced : TIN
- From : Named after the Etruscan god, Tinia; Chemical symbol taken
- from the Latin name for the element, stannum
- Identified : Identified and applied in ancient times
- Appearance : Silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metal
- Note : Used to make alloys and tin cans
-
- [Properties]
-
- Tin is a IVA metal. Pure tin is ductile and malleable, and therefore
- adaptable to a wide range of forming processes such as rolling, spinning,
- and extruding. Tin is basically a silvery-white metal that looks much like
- freshly cut aluminum, but feels more like lead. Polished tin as a slight
- bluish color that is caused by the reaction of the metal with oxygen in
- the atmosphere. This oxide, tin(IV) oxide, forms a thin protective layer
- that prevents further oxidation of the sample.
- Tin has two, well-defined allotropes known as gray tin (alpha form) and
- white tin (beta form). The gray form is stable at temperatures below 13.2
- degrees, while the white form is more stable above that temperature.
- Normal room temperature is considered to be about 20 degrees, so it
- follows that the most common form is the white, or beta, form.
- Both of these allotropes have highly defined crystalline structures. In
- fact, bending a bar of tin produces a characteristic squealing sound, or
- "cry", as the crystals are separated.
-