Tin and Tin Chemicals

Tin is one of the world's most valuble metals in the sense that it is an important component in many different areas. Tinplate, for example, has been a long-standing necessity in the can-making and food-packaging industry. Solder is likewise important in the electonics and electrical industries. Tin chemicals demonstrate another rapidly-growing aspect of tin. Compounds known as organotins have blossomed into a lucrative industry solely within the past 50 years. Consumption of inorganic tin compounds is also on the rise. Both types of compounds add to nearly 20% of total tin metal consumed worldwide. Tin can be found on the Periodic Table of the Elements as a member of Group IV, along with lead, carbon, silicon, and germanium. In organic compounds, it can appear in two oxidation states: +2 (stannous form) and +4 (stannic form). Both types of organic compounds are used to form other industrially-important compounds. A compound is considered inorganic when there is no direct covalent tin-carbon bond in the molecule, even though it may contain an organic anion. Tin is known as a green metal. Environmentally safe, tin is also safe for contact with food. It naturally decomposes in the environment due to processes like oxidation, rust, and other biological activity. It is true that some tin chemicals must be handled with responsibility and care, but with all proper precautions and safety techniques the chances of becoming a pollutant to the environment are alleviated. Study has learned that all organotins penultimately degrade in the environment due to ultraviolet radiation, biological degradation and chemical reactions that break down the tin-carbon bond. Organotins are unlike other heavy metal pollutants in the sense that they don't pose a long-term burden on the environment. For further information about tin and tin chemicals, visit the site of the International Tin Research Institute.

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