Tin is a chemical element with symbol Sn (from Latin: stannum) and atomic number 50.

It is a post-
transition metal in group 14 of the periodic table. It is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite,
which contains tin dioxide, SnO2. Tin shows a chemical similarity to both of its neighbors in group 14,
germanium and lead, and has two main oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4. Tin is the
49th most abundant element and has, with 10 stable isotopes, the largest number of stable isotopes in
the periodic table, thanks to its magic number 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 is not
easily oxidized in air.

The first 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 Age until the
20th century. In modern times, tin is used in many alloys, most notably tin/lead soft solders, which are
typically 60% or more tin and in the manufacture of transparent, electrically conducting films of indium
tin oxide in optoelectronic applications. Another large application for tin is corrosion-resistant tin plating
of steel. Because of the low toxicity of inorganic tin, tin-plated steel is widely used for food packaging as
tin cans. However, some organotin compounds (compounds formed from tin and hydrocarbons) can be
almost as toxic as cyanide.

Chemistry of Tin (Z=50)

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Mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures, tin is of ancient origins. Tin is an element in Group 14 (the
carbon family) and has mainly metallic properties. Tin has atomic number 50 and an atomic mass
of 118.710 atomic mass units.

Introduction
Mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures, tin is of ancient origins. Early metal smiths were quick to
learn that mixing copper with tin created a more durable metal (bronze) and it is principally for its
alloys that tin is valued today. Named after the Etruscan god Tinia, the chemical symbol for tin is
taken from the Latin stannum. The metal is silvery white and very soft when pure. It has the look
of freshly cut aluminum, but the feel of lead.

Polished tin is slightly bluish. It has been used for many years in the coating of steel cans for food
because it is more resistant to corrosion than iron. It forms a number of useful low-melting alloys
(solders) which are used to connect electrical circuits. Bending a bar of tin produces a characteristic
squealing sound called "tin cry". Tin shares chemical similarities with germanium and lead. Tin
mining began in Australia in 1872 and today Tin is used extensively in industry and commerce.

Table 1: Basic Properties of tin

color white with blueish tinge

hardness softer than gold, harder than

lead

atomic radius 140 pm

density 5.77g/cm3

melting point 232 degrees Celsius

boiling point 2623 degrees Celsius

electrical about 1/7th that of silver

conductivity

electrode potential >0.192V

first ionization 709 kJ/mol

energy

Ionic Radius 93 pm

Reactions of Tin
 Hydrogen Tin not affected

Nitrogen Tin absorbs it instead of hydrogen in electric discharge

Argon No sign of a combination of Tin with Argon

Fluorine Does not react with Tin at low temperatures, but at 100
degrees Celsius they form stannic fluoride.Perhaps
one of the most familiar of tin compounds, SnF2SnF2,
tin(II) fluoride, goes by the trade name of fluoristan and
is found in some fluoride toothpastes.

Chlorine Acts on Tin at room temperature

Bromine Acts on tin at room temperature

Sulfur Unites directly with Tin when heated

Selenium Reacts vigorously with Tin

Tellurium Reacts vigorously with Tin

Nitrogen Forms on compound by direct union with Tin

Arsenic Reacts with tin under heat and light

Antimony Is dissolved by molten Tin

Reaction of tin with oxygen

When heated in it, tin produces stannic oxide

Sn(s)+O2(g)→SnO2(s)Sn(s)+O2(g)→SnO2(s)
Reaction of tin with water (steam)
Sn(s)+2H2O(g)→SnO2(s)+2H2(g)Sn(s)+2H2O(g)→SnO2(s)+2H2(g)

Isotopes
There are 10 known stable isotopes of Tin, the most of any elements on the periodic table. This
high number of stable isotopes could be attributed to the fact that the atomic number
of Sn50Sn50 is a 'magic number' in nuclear physics.

Table 4: Isotopes of tin

Isotope % Natural Abundance

112 amu 0.95%

116 amu 14.24%

117 amu 7.57%

118 amu 24.01%

119 amu 8.58%

120 amu 32.97%

122 amu 4.71%

124 amu 5.98%

Allotropes of Tin
Tin has 3 allotropes: alpha, beta and gamma tin. Alpha tin is the most unstable form of tin. Beta
tin is the most commonly found allotrope of tin and gamma tin only exists at very high
temperatures.

Oxidation States of Tin

Tin, although it is found in Group 14 of the periodic table, is consistent with the trend found in
Group 13 where the lower oxidation state is favored farther down a group. Tin can exist in two
oxidation states, +2 and +4, but Tin displays a tendency to exist in the +4 oxidation state.

Common Compounds of Tin

Tin forms two main oxides, SnO and SnO2 (amphoteric).

Electron Configuration of Tin

Tin has a ground state electron configuration of 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p2 and
can form covalent tin (II) compounds with its two unpaired p-electrons. In the three dimensional
figure below, the first and most inner electron shell is represented by blue electrons, the second
electron shell made up of eight electrons is represented by red electrons, the third shell containing
eighteen electrons is represented with green electrons, and the next outer electron again contains
eighteen electrons and represented in purple.

Uses of Tin
Early metal smiths were quick to learn that mixing copper with tin created a more durable metal
(bronze) and it is principally for its alloys that tin is valued today. Nearly half of the tin metal
produced is used in solders, which are low melting point alloys used to join wires. Solders are
important in electrician work and plumbing. Tin is also used as a coating for lead, zinc, and steel
to prevent corrosion. Tin cans are widely used for storing foods; the first tin can was used in
London in 1812.

Questions
Find the oxidation state of tin in the following compounds:

a. SnCl^2 answer:2

b. SnO^2 answer:4
Write an equation for the reaction of tin with water. Under what conditions does this reaction take
place?

answer: Sn(s) + 2H2O(g) → SnO2(s) + 2H2(g) Reaction takes place if water is heated to a high
temperature to form steam.

Which of these reactions take place.

a. tin with oxygen ANSWER: YES

b. tin with hydrogen ANSWER: NO

c. tin with argon ANSWER: NO

d. tin with chlorine ANSWER: YES

Arrange the following in order of increasing atomic radius: Sn, K, Ag, C, Pb

ANSWER: C<Sn<Pb<Ag<K

Arrange the following in order of decreasing ionization energy: Sn, Si, Pb, I, In.

ANSWER: Si> I > Sn > In > Pb

Reaction of tin with air

Under normal conditions tin does not react with air. When heated, tin reacts with oxygen, O2,
forming tin dioxide, SnO2.

Sn(s) + O2(g) SnO2(s)

Reaction of tin with halogens

Tin reacts with Cl2 forming tin(IV)chloride [6].

Sn(s) + 2 Cl2(g) SnCl4(s)

Reaction of tin with hydroxide ions

Sn(II) is precipitated by hydroxide ions as a white gelatinous precipitate:

3 Sn2+(aq) + 6 OH−(aq) [Sn3(OH)2O2](s) [white] + 2 H2O(l)

The precipitate is dissolved in excess alkali:

[Sn3(OH)2O2](s) + 3 OH−(aq) + 2 H2O(l) 3 [Sn(OH)3]−(aq)

Reaction of tin with metals/metal ions

Sn(II) is oxidized by Hg22+. This reaction is used for qualitative analysis for Sn(II):

Hg22+(aq) + Sn2+(aq) 2 Hg(l) + Sn4+(aq)

Under acidic conditions and in the presence of chloride ions, Hg(II) is reduced to Hg(I) by Sn(II),
forming Hg2Cl2:

Hg2+(aq) + Sn2+(aq) + 2 Cl−(aq) Hg2Cl2(s) + Sn4+(aq)

In excess Sn(IV), Hg(I) is reduced to Hg:

Hg2Cl2(s) + Sn2+(aq) 2 Hg(l) + Sn4+(aq) + 2 Cl−(aq)

Sn(IV) is reduced by Fe to Sn(II) in HCl(aq)

[SnCl6]2−(aq) + Fe(s) [SnCl3]−(aq) + Fe2+(aq) + 3 Cl−(aq)

Manganese with oxidation steps >2 will be reduced to Mn(II) by Sn(II) under acidic conditions
under the formation of Sn(IV), e.g.

MnO2(s) + Sn2+(aq) + 4 H+(aq) Mn2+(aq) + Sn4+(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

Reaction of tin with peroxide

Sn(II) is easily oxidized to Sn(IV) by hydrogen peroxide under acidic conditions

[SnCl3]−(aq) + H2O2(aq) + 2 H+(aq) [SnCl6]2−(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

Reaction of tin with sulfide

Sn(II) is precipitated by hydrogensulfide in 0.4M HCl(aq):

Sn2+(aq) + H2S(aq) SnS(s) [brown/black] + 2 H+(aq)

In strong acid, the precipitate is dissolved:

SnS(s) + 2 H+(aq) + 3 Cl−(aq) [SnCl3]−(aq) + H2S(g)

The precipitate is also dissolved in Na2S2 but not in Na2S:

SnS(s) + S22−(aq) [SnS3]2−(aq)

Sn(IV) is precipitated by hydrogensulfide in 0.4M HCl(aq):

[SnCl6]2−(aq) + H2S(aq) SnS2(s) [yellow] + 4 H+(aq) + 6 Cl−(aq)

The precipitate is dissolved in strong HCl(aq), NaOH(aq) and sulfide:

SnS2(s) + 6 OH−(aq) 2 [SnS3]2−(aq) + [Sn(OH)6]2−(aq)

SnS2(s) + S2−(aq) [SnS3]2−(aq)

Reaction of tin with water

Tin does not react with water under normal conditions. When exposed to steam, tin dioxide,
SnO2 and hydrogen are formed.

Sn(s) + 2 H2O(g) SnO2(s) + 2 H2(g)

Sn(IV) is precipitated as α-tin acid upon hydrolysis of Sn(IV) solutions:

[SnCl6]2−(aq) + 6 H2O(l) H2[Sn(OH)6](s) + 4 H+(aq) + 6 Cl−(aq)

The precipitate is amphoteric and is dissolved in acids and strong alkali:

H2[Sn(OH)6](s) + 2 OH−(aq) [Sn(OH)6]2−(aq) + 2 H2O(l)

−
H2[Sn(OH)6](s) + 4 H (aq) + 6 Cl (aq)
+
[SnCl6]2−(aq) + 6 H2O(l)

PB
Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb (from the Latin plumbum) and atomic number 82. It is
a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and has a
relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, lead is bluish-white; it tarnishes to a dull gray color
when exposed to air. Lead has the highest atomic number of any stable element and concludes
three major decay chains of heavier elements.
Lead is a relatively unreactive post-transition metal. Its weak metallic character is illustrated by
its amphoteric nature; lead and lead oxides react with acids and bases, and it tends to form covalent
bonds. Compounds of lead are usually found in the +2 oxidation state rather than the +4 state
common with lighter members of the carbon group. Exceptions are mostly limited to organolead
compounds. Like the lighter members of the group, lead tends to bond with itself; it can form chains,
rings and polyhedral structures.
Lead is easily extracted from its ores; prehistoric people in Western Asia knew of it. Galena, a
principal ore of lead, often bears silver, interest in which helped initiate widespread extraction and
use of lead in ancient Rome. Lead production declined after the fall of Rome and did not reach
comparable levels until the Industrial Revolution. In 2014, annual global production of lead was
about ten million tonnes, over half of which was from recycling. Lead's high density, low melting
point, ductility and relative inertness to oxidation make it useful. These properties, combined with its
relative abundance and low cost, resulted in its extensive use in
construction, plumbing, batteries, bullets and shot, weights, solders, pewters, fusible alloys, white
paints, leaded gasoline, and radiation shielding.
In the late 19th century, lead's toxicity was recognized, and its use has since been phased out of
many applications. Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones, damages
the nervous system, and causes blood disorders. It is particularly problematic in children: even if
blood levels are promptly normalized with treatment, permanent brain damage may result

Reaction of lead with air

The surface of metallic lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide, PbO. Only upon heating lead
to 600-800°C does lead react with oxygen in air to from lead oxide, PbO.
 2Pb(s) + O2(g) → 2PbO(s)
Finely divided lead powder is pyrophoric, however, meaning it is a fire risk.

Reaction of lead with water

The surface of metallic lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide, PbO. It does not react with
water under normal conditions.

Reaction of lead with the halogens

Lead metal reacts vigorously with fluorine, F2, at room temperature and chlorine, Cl2, on warming to
form the poisonous dihalides lead(II) fluoride, PbF2, and lead(II) chloride, PbCl2, respectively.
Pb(s) + F2(g) → PbF2(s) []
Pb(s) + Cl2(g) → PbCl2(s) []

Reaction of lead with acids

The surface of metallic lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide, PbO. This renders the lead
essentially insoluble in sulphuric acid, and so, in the past, a useful container of this acid. Lead reacts
slowly with hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, HNO3. In the latter case, nitrogen oxides are formed
together with lead(II) nitrate, Pb(NO3)2.

Reaction of lead with bases

Lead dissolves slowly in cold alkalis to form plumbites.