The metal tin is soft, malleable, has a silvery-white metallic luster, a melting point of 231.89°C and a boiling point of 2260°C. It is non-toxic. Tin is an element in the fourth main group of the periodic table with an atomic number of 50, an atomic weight of 118.71 and the chemical symbol Sn. Tin is ductile at room temperature. It is especially ductile at 100°C and can be drawn into extremely thin tin foil, down to a thickness of less than 0.04 mm. However, it is very brittle and breaks when pulled, and cannot be drawn into fine wires.
Tin is also a metal that is afraid of both cold and heat. Its form is completely different at different temperatures.
Tin has the most stable properties in the temperature range of 13.2 to 161°C.
Tin has very stable chemical properties and is not easily oxidised at room temperature, so it often retains a silvery luster. Tin is stable in air, where a protective tin dioxide film forms on the surface. Heating speeds up the oxidation reaction. Tin reacts with halogens to form tin tetrachloride. It also reacts with sulphur. Tin is stable in water, slowly dissolves in dilute acids and more quickly in concentrated acids. Tin dissolves in strongly alkaline solutions. It is attacked by acidic solutions of salts such as ferric chloride and zinc chloride.
