History of the Discovery
it has been known for so long it is unknown how it has been found
Abundance of element in earth, air or universe
Tin makes up 2.3 million pounds of weight in the earth and 9 billion pounds of weight in the universe. Also, seawater is 1-10 ppt (parts per trillion) of tin, and river water contains 6-40 ppt.
How its used in life, industry, technology etc.
Tin’s pure state is never actually used at its pure state and mostly used as a powder because it is too soft to be used for tools. This makes it very soft and malleable so it can be rolled, pressed or hammered into thin sheets like tin foil. It prevents rusting and is used to protect copper and other metals. Most things that are made out of metal are covered in a thin sheet tin. This protects the metal underneath from rusting because tin doesn’t rust. “Tin” cans are actually made of steel but are covered in a thin sheet of tin. Everywhere today from tin cans, tinfoil, and tin roofs.
How reactive it is and how
Tin is in family 14 so it is rarely found bonded in nature. This is because it is halfway between the periodic table. Sometimes it will gain electrons and sometimes it will loose electrons. The two most common things tin will react with is air and water (most common for most elements). Tin and oxygen forms tin dioxide which can be used as a polishing powder for glass, jewelry, marble and silver. Tin and water makes hydrogen which is is another atom that is used in oils and rocket fuel.
Compound tin makes
Some compounds are niobium-tin, stannic acid, and tin chloride. Tin bonds with hydrides, chlorides, fluorides, bromides, iodides, oxides, selenides, sulfides, and tellurides. It doesn’t have a bond with any nitrides, carbonyls, or complexes. These terms just mean that they have that element as part of the compound. For example one compound in fluorides is tin difluoride: SnF2.
Fun fact/extra info
The earliest recorded usage of tin is as early as the Bronze Age. Bronze is tin and copper mixed together and was used all the time by the Egyptians 5000 years ago. And it’s still being used today for many things. Tin has a highly crystalline structure and when a tin bar is bent, a ‘tin cry’ is heard, due to the breaking of these crystals.
Sources
"InvestorIntel." InvestorIntel. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
"#50 - Tin - Sn." #50 - Tin - Sn. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Chemistry of Tin." - Chemwiki. N.p., 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. "Tin." The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. 120-21. Print.
