Cool Chemistry Paper

My Life as an Element

Hello! My name is Tin and I am a very useful, unique, and am a very popular element, especially in theatre and film. My atomic number is fifty, which means that I have fifty protons and fifty electrons. My atomic number Sn, is derived from the Latin stannum for alloys containing lead. I was known in prehistoric times. I was discovered in ~2000 BC. Since I was known in prehistoric times, the name of my discoverer is unknown. But bless their heart for making such an element known, and for allowing me to see the light of day!

I have quite a few physical characteristics, as I am a very special element, as you probably already know by now. I am a silvery white, soft, pliable metal. I am a solid, and my density is 7.28 g/cm3. My exposed surfaces form oxide film and I resist Oxygen and water. I also dissolve in acids and bases. I am a very special metal and have numerous practical uses. One of them being that I resist corrosion; therefore, I am used as a protective coating on other metals. Needless to say, without me, certain metals would have bitten the dust a long, long time ago! One of the most familiar examples of this application is the tin can. Tin cans are made of steel, but have a protective coating of Tin. I am also used in the Pilkington process, in which molten glass is poured onto a pool of molten Tin, to produce window glass. When I am sprayed onto glass, I make electrically conductive coatings which can be used to make panel lighting and frost-free windshields (Heitz).

I am also used to form alloys, and an excellent example of one is Bronze, which is an alloy of tin and copper. My alloys are very important. Some of the different types of alloys with tin include: white metal, fusible metal, phosphor bronze, and pewter. At normal pressure, I have two allotropic forms. One of which is alpha tin. Alpha tin has a cubic structure and changes at 13.2°C into white, or beta tin. Beta tin is my ordinary form. Tin changes slowly from white to gray when it is cooled below 13.2°C.

As I previously mentioned, my atomic number is fifty, therefore I am located in box fifty on the periodic table. The horizontal rows in the periodic table are known as families, and the vertical rows in the periodic table are known as groups. My period number is five, and my group number is fourteen, which, unfortunately, has no name. But that is not the only unique thing about me! My atomic weight, or atomic mass, is 118.710. My melting point is 505.08 K (231.93°C or 449.47°F), and my boiling point is 2875 K (2602°C or 4715°F) (Gagnon).

I am found mainly in cassiterite (SnO2). The world’s supply of which comes mainly from Malaya, Bolivia, Indonesia, Zaire, Thailand, and Nigeria. Unfortunately for them, the U.S hardly produces any; however, some traces of it have been found in Alaska and California (Gagnon).

Even though, as an element, I am known mainly in the scientific world, I have made several appearances on both stage and film. My big break came in the toe-tapping musical/movie The Wizard of Oz, where I wad the “Tin Man”. The actor portraying me, Jack Haley, did a magnificent job. The movie was so powerful that I cried! I really, truly wanted a heart and it was so nice to see the wizard grant the Tin Man, and the others, their wishes. I also made an appearance in the Broadway adaptation of the musical. I thoroughly enjoyed being on stage eight times a week, and getting eight hearts in seven days! Though I’m sure the many actors who have portrayed me got rather tired of having to do eight performances a week. Though, I guess I’ll never know because I do not really have a heart; therefore, I cannot feel what they feel. Even though the film did not win for best costumes, I am sure that my killer Tin outfit made all the other costumes, as well as the rest of the elements on the periodic table, jealous.

As you can see, I am very busy and am always on the go. I can not afford to take a vacation, because I am needed to help the world prosper. Remember, without me, many of the other elements would corrode. I need to make life easier for many of the other elements listed in the periodic table.

Works Cited

Gagnon, Steve. “It’s Elemental”. 11/26/06 http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele050.html- It is unknown when the site was last updated.

Heitz, Mark. “Tin Sn”. NERM 2004 Rochester, NY Element of the Day. 11/26/06 http://chem.chem.rochester.edu/~rocacs/nerm/eotd/eotd_27.htm

Unknown. “Sn”. Qivx. Inc.Integral Studies. 11/26/06 http://www.qivx.com/ispt/elements/ptw_050.php It is unknown when this site was last updated.

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