Research Paper on Tin

Definition of tin, “tin is one of malleable, silvery metallic element obtained chiefly from cassiterite. It is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion and is a part of numerous alloys, such as soft solder, pewter, type metal, and bronze.” the earliest metals known to man. The first findings of tin use for making bronze appears in the Near East and the Balkans around 3000 BC, but it is still not very clear on where the beginning of mining tin first began. Archeologist have suspected that tin have been used for last 5,500 years.

Tin was mostly used as a component in bronze, and was used in bronze because of the hardening effects on copper. Tin comes from the Latin word stannum, a name for the element tin, and named after Etruscan god, Tinia. Tin is mentioned in the Old Testament, and ancient metal workers found it too soft for most purposes. Now in modern days the word “tin” is used improperly, and the phrase now used is a silver medal that is available in thin sheets. Tin obtained from the mineral cassiterite, and is naturally in the form of Stannic Oxide. Tin is highly crystalline in nature. A tin crystal is tetragonal in arrangement. A noise called ‘tin cry’ is heard on bending a bar of tin. Cassiterite is then roasted in a furnace, which extracts the tin. 0.0001% of the Earths surface is made of Tin and it is mainly mined in Bolivia, Indonesia, Zaire, Thailand, Nigeria, and China, California and Alaska.  Cornwall was a major tin producer during the 19^th century, and when the market crashed in 1985 the price of tin dropped nearly half. Mining in Cornwall closed in 1998.

There also over twenty-two isotopes of tin, and nine of which contain stable isotopes. Tin is classified in the periodic table as “other metals”, and is very dense and opaque.  Tin comes in two different forms at normal pressure, grey tin and white tin. The first form of Tin is called gray tin, and there are not many uses for gray tin. Overtime, gray tin begins to move into the second form, white tin, which has many uses. European monks first noticed the changing of grey tin to white tin and tin growths on Cathedral organ pipes was the devils work. The change of tin to gray tin is supposed to have cause the disintegration of the buttons of soldiers’ outfits during Napoleon’s Russian Campaign in 1812. White tin is used for a lot of human needs such as cans to hold food or can be used in dental products. A substance such called tin salt can be sprayed onto glass to make an electrically conductive coating, and this is usually used for frost-free windshields.  Tin is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion, but is easily corroded by strong acids. Tin is also used to resist distilled, sea, and soft tap water. Tin is an alloying agent and easily fuses with metals. Crystalline tin-niobium wire is an extremely conductive form of tin at low temperatures and only weighs a few pounds. This magnet can compare to the strength of a 100-ton magnet.

At room temperature tin will remain a solid, and at its solid state the metal is harmless. If the tin is cooled starting from room temperature then tin begins to become brittle. Tin’s melting point starts at 449.47 degrees Fahrenheit, and boiling point is 4716 degrees Fahrenheit. Tin, lead and their alloys, because of the low melting temperatures and wide availability, are usually used solder materials. Lead has been used as a soldering metal for water pipes, and this goes back to the Roman Times.