Tin (Sn)
Element 50 · Post-transition metal · Solid at 25 °C · Group 14, Period 5
Tin alloyed with copper made bronze — the metal that named an age. It later lined “tin cans” and remains a key ingredient of solder.
On the periodic table, tin sits in group 14 — the carbon group — in period 5. It is one of 12 elements classified as a post-transition metal, and at room temperature (25 °C) it is a solid.
The post-transition metals sit between the transition metals and the metalloids. They are genuine metals — shiny and conductive — but softer, weaker, and lower-melting than the d-block metals, and their chemistry has more covalent character. Everyday examples from this family include aluminium foil, tin cans, and lead batteries.
Properties of tin
| Atomic number (Z) | 50 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Sn |
| Atomic mass | 118.71 |
| Category | Post-transition metal |
| Group | 14 |
| Period | 5 |
| Block | p-block |
| Metal / nonmetal | Metal |
| State at 25 °C | Solid |
| Electron configuration | [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p2 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.96 |
| Melting point | 231.93 °C (505.08 K / 449.47 °F) |
| Boiling point | 2,602 °C (2,875.15 K / 4,715.6 °F) |
| Density | 7.265 g/cm³ |
Position in the periodic table
Tin shares group 14 — the carbon group with Carbon (C), Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge), Lead (Pb), Flerovium (Fl). Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, so they tend to behave alike chemically — comparing them is one of the fastest ways to see periodic trends in action.
Physical properties
Tin melts at 231.93 °C (505.08 K / 449.47 °F) and boils at 2,602 °C (2,875.15 K / 4,715.6 °F), giving it a liquid range of about 2,370.1 °C at standard pressure.
Its density is 7.265 g/cm³.
See also: the interactive periodic table, how to read the periodic table, metals, nonmetals & metalloids.