Tin (Sn)
"The Tin Soldier, the classic hero who protects food from corrosion and joins with copper to create the Bronze Age."
A memorable persona to anchor Sn in your mind.
7.31
Grams per cm³
231.928
Celsius (°C)
217
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Tin is found in the tin can used for preserving food.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
Ancient
Discovered By
Unknown
Origin of Name
"The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ''tin''"
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
118.71 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
2586°C
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d105s25p2
1st Ionization Energy
7.344 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Tin is a soft, silvery-white, malleable metal."
Did You Know?
Its chemical symbol, Sn, comes from its Latin name, 'stannum'.
When a bar of tin is bent, it makes a characteristic crackling sound known as the 'tin cry' or 'tin shriek'.
Below 13.2°C (55.8°F), pure tin can slowly transform into a powdery grey form in a process called 'tin pest', which caused organ pipes in old European churches to crumble in cold winters.
The first 'tin cans' for food preservation were actually made of iron plated with a thin layer of tin to prevent rusting.