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Materials

Periodic Graphics

Tin years of Periodic Graphics

Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning celebrates a decade of graphics with a closer look at tin.

by Andy Brunning, special to C&EN
December 19, 2024 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 102, Issue 39
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Infographic on tin to mark the 10th anniversary of Periodic Graphics. Tin has 10 stable isotopes—the most of any element. One tin allotrope, β-tin is stable at and above room temperature. It transforms into brittle α-tin at 13.2 ˚C, or lower if there are impurities. Some scientists theorize that in 1812, the cold transformed the tin buttons on uniforms in Napoleon I's army to crumbly α-tin, contributing to the army's defeat. But there are no eyewitness accounts to support this claim. Though tin cans bear the element's name, modern cans are made of steel. Manufacturers used to use a thin layer of tin plate to prevent corrosion. But today, many cans have a plastic coating instead—often bisphenol compounds. Many toothpastes use stannous fluoride, a source of fluoride and tin ions. Fluoride ions help prevent tooth decay, and tin ions help prevent gingivitis and tooth sensitivity. Dibutyltin dilaurate stops oxidative degradation in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and some other plastic. The Large Hadron Collider’s superconducting niobium-tin magnets focus proton beams to increase the particle collision rate.
Credit: Andy Brunning

Test your knowledge of tin with our quiz

To download a pdf of this article, visit cenm.ag/tinyears.

References used to create this graphic:

Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. “Tin.” International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Accessed Dec. 12, 2024.

Fiorillo, Luca, Gabriele Cervino, Alan Scott Herford, Luigi Laino, and Marco Cicciù. “Stannous Fluoride Effects on Enamel: A Systematic Review.” Biomimetics (2020). DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics5030041.

Öhrström, Lars. “Bonaparte’s Bursting Buttons: A Thin Story.” In Curious Tales from Chemistry: The Last Alchemist in Paris, and Other Episodes. Oxford University Press, November 2013. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780199661091.003.0020.

A collaboration between C&EN and Andy Brunning, author of the popular graphics blog Compound Interest

To see more of Brunning’s work, go to compoundchem.com. To see all of C&EN’s Periodic Graphics, visit cenm.ag/periodicgraphics.

CORRECTION:

This graphic was updated on Jan. 9, 2025, to correct errors in the origin of the theory about Napoleon's tin buttons, the structure of bisphenol S, and modern can materials. The buttons’ transformation into crumbly α-tin is a theory from scientists, not a claim from historians. The sulfur atom in bisphenol S is bonded to two carbonyl groups, not two methyl groups. Modern cans are more commonly made of steel than of stainless steel.

 

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