Aug 13 2013
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications
Introduction
Tin is a silvery, soft and pliable metal which resists corrosion. The atomic number of tin is 50 and it is a period 4, group 4 element in the periodic table. The chemical name for tin is stannum and is represented by Sn. Tin resists corrosion from distilled sea water and soft tap water; however, strong acids and alkalis attack tin. Tin is susceptible to creep deformation at room temperature.
Tin forms bonds with various organic compounds. Some of the major tin-bearing minerals are cassiterite and stannine which are are distributed in Malaysia, Thailand, Zaire, Indonesia and Bolivia. Pure tin is formed by the reduction of coal. This datasheet looks into the properties and applications of tin.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of tin are provided in the table below:
|
Chemical Data |
|
CAS number |
7440-31-5 |
|
Thermal neutron cross section |
0.65 barns/atom |
|
Electrode potential |
-0.140 V |
|
Ionic radius |
0.710 Å |
|
Electro negativity |
1.96 |
|
X-ray absorption edge |
0.42468 Å |
|
Electrochemical equivalent |
1.107 g/A/h |
Physical Properties
The following table discusses the physical properties of tin.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Density |
5.765 g/cm3 |
0.208 lb/in3 |
|
Melting point |
231.96 °C |
449.543 °F |
|
Boiling point |
2602 °C |
4716 °F |
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of tin are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Tensile strength |
220 MPa |
31900 psi |
|
Modulus of elasticity (Cast) |
41.6 GPa |
6030 ksi |
|
Shear modulus |
15.6 GPa |
2260 ksi |
|
Hardness, Brinell |
2.3 |
2.3 |
Thermal Properties
The thermal properties of tin are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@-50°C/-58°F) |
5.40 µm/m°C |
3 µin/in°F |
|
Thermal conductivity |
63.2 W/mK |
439 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Applications
The following are the application areas of tin:
-
Tinplate foil
-
Collapsible tubes, block tin products and pewter
-
Alloying, coatings and powder applications
-
Coating steel cans
-
Solder for joining pipes or electric circuits.
Tin compounds are used in making toothpastes, gas sensors and ceramics. Alloys of tin are used as super conducting magnets.