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Definition: tin from Dictionary of Energy

Chemistry. a metallic element having the symbol Sn, the atomic number 50, and an atomic weight of 118.7, occurring as a silvery-white ductile solid or a brittle gray solid; used in alloys and in plating and soldering, and formerly widely used in cans for foods and beverages.

tin

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
metallic chemical element; symbol Sn [Lat. stannum ]; at. no. 50; at. wt. 118.710; m.p. 231.9681 degrees Celsius; b.p. 2,270 degrees Celsius; sp. gr. 5.75 (gray), 7.3 (white); valence +2 or +4. Tin exhibits allotropy ; above 13.2 degrees Celsius it is a lustrous, silver-white, highly crystalline metal with tetragonal structure. A brittle form with orthorhombic structure may exist above 161 degrees Celsius. Below 13.2 degrees Celsius pure tin tends to become a gray powder, a change commonly designated “tin pest” or “tin disease.” Tin is very soft (only slightly harder than lead) and malleable; it can be rolled, pressed, or hammered into extremely thin sheets (tin foil). When iron or steel is dipped into molten tin, a layer of tin is deposited on the surface. A tin coating may also be applied by electroplating, which uses less tin. The tin serves to prevent rusting, since it is barely affected by moisture. The tin plate used in tin cans is an iron or steel sheet coated with tin. A tin…
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Full text Article tin

From The Chambers Dictionary
a silvery-white easily fusible malleable metallic element (symbol Sn ; atomic no 50); a usu airtight container or vessel of tin or tin-plate, a can, etc; a tinful; a rectangular loaf of bread; a strip of tin along the lower boundary of the playable area of the front wall of a squash court; money ( …
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Full text Article tin

From The Macquarie Dictionary
a low-melting, metallic element nearly approaching silver in colour and lustre, used in making alloys and in plating. Plural: tins Sn 118.69 50 7.31 at 20°C tin plate. Plural: tins galvanised iron sheets of tin for the new roof., tins any shallow metal pan, especially one used in baking. Plural: …
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Full text Article tin

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
Symbol Sn A crystalline, silvery metallic element obtained chiefly from cassiterite, and having two notable allotropic forms. Malleable white tin is the useful allotrope, but at temperatures below 13.2°C it slowly converts to the brittle gray allotrope. Tin is used to coat other metals to prevent…
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Full text Article Tin

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Money. A deprecatory synonym for silver, called jupiter by alchemists. Tone deafness or inability to perceive subtleties in speech. Tin is a metal incapable of sensation. The phrase dates from the 1930s. Naval slang for a torpedo. A self-important person. See also tinpot . …
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Full text Article tin

From Collins English Dictionary
n 1 a metallic element, occurring in cassiterite, that has several allotropes; the ordinary malleable silvery-white metal slowly changes below 13.2°C to a grey powder. It is used extensively in alloys, esp bronze and pewter, and as a noncorroding coating for steel. Symbol: Sn; atomic no: 50; atomic…
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Full text Article Tin

From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
A chemical element with the symbol Sn and the number 50 on the Periodic Table of elements that is used as an alloy with other metals. Tin ore is hard, heavy, and inert and can be found on every continent in the world. At the end of the twentieth century, thirty-five countries mined tin. The most…
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Full text Article tin

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
metallic chemical element; symbol Sn [Lat. stannum ]; at. no. 50; at. wt. 118.710; m.p. 231.9681 degrees Celsius; b.p. 2,270 degrees Celsius; sp. gr. 5.75 (gray), 7.3 (white); valence +2 or +4. Tin exhibits allotropy ; above 13.2 degrees Celsius it is a lustrous, silver-white, highly crystalline…
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Full text Article tin

From Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary
(stannum). CAS: 7440-31-5. Sn. Metallic element of atomic number 50, group IVA of the periodic system, aw 118.69, valences of 2, 4; 10 isotopes. Silver-white, ductile solid (β form). D 7.29 (20C), mp 232C, bp 2260C. Changes to brittle, gray (α) tin at temperature of 18C, but the transition is…
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Full text Article tin

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Soft, silver-white, malleable and somewhat ductile, metallic element, symbol Sn, atomic number 50, relative atomic mass 118.69. Its chemical symbol comes from the Latin stannum . Tin exhibits allotropy , having three forms: the familiar lustrous metallic form above 13.2°C/55.8°F, a brittle form…
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Full text Article tin

From The Penguin Dictionary of Science
Symbol Sn (from the Latin stannum ). The element with atomic number 50 and relative atomic mass 118.7, which is in Group 14 of the ➤ periodic table . Tin is a metal, the normal silvery coloured solid having a distorted close-packed structure. Below 13.5°C, there is a slow transition to another less…
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