TIN. 
name of Jupiter, from which the salts, or 
preparations of tin, were called jovial. Since 
their time, the nature and properties of tin 
have been particularly investigated by 
many chemists, and it has proved the sub- 
ject of some important discoveries in che- 
mical science. Tin exists in nature in thnee 
different states. 1. It is found native; 2. In 
the state of oxide ; afld, 3. In that of sul- 
phurated oxide. Native tin is in brilliant 
plates, or regularly crystalhzecl. The na- 
tive oxide of tin, which is the most commoa 
ore of this metal, exists under a variety of 
forms. It is generally found ciystallized. 
The sulphuret of tin is of a pale, or dark- 
grey colour, and, when pure, has some resem- 
blance to an ore of silver. To o', tain the me- 
tal from its ores, they are first roasted, and 
then treated with a flux, to reduce the meial. 
After the ore is roasted, it fuses i’eadily with 
three times its weight of black flux, and 
a little decrepitated muriate of soda. Iri the 
humid way, native tin may be dissolved in 
nitric acid, which readily oxida.tes, and re- 
duces it to the state of white powder, which 
is an oxide of tin ; and if it contain iron and 
copper, these two metals remain in the so- 
lution. Tin is of a white colour, nearly as 
brilliant as silver. The specific gravity of 
tin is nearly 7 . 3 . It is one of the softest of 
the metals. It is extremely flexible, and 
so malleable, that it can be easily beaten 
out in plates to ^ part of an inch, r/aich 
is the thickness of tinfoil. It has liU. s elas- 
ticity or tenacity. A wire of this matal, 
about one- tenth of an inch in diameter, sjip- 
ports a weight of about thirty pounds, v/itii- 
out breaking. Tin is susceptible of vsrj 
considerable expansion, by means of calo- 
ric, and on this account it has been pro- 
posed to employ it as a pyrometer. Tin is 
one of the most fusible of the metals, and 
melts at tjie temperature of 442“ ; but it re- 
quires a very high temperature to raise it 
in vapour. If it be allowed to cool slowly, 
and vvhen the surface becomes solid by 
pouring out part of the liquid metal, crys- 
tals are formed, composed of a great num- 
ber of small needles. Tin is a good con- 
ductor of electricity. It possesses a pecu- 
liar odour, which is communicated to the 
hands by friction. It has also a percepti - 
ble taste. When this metal is exposed to 
the air, it is soon tarnished, and assumes a 
greyish white colour ; but it undergoes no 
further change. When it is melted in an 
open vessel, it is soon covered with a grey- 
ish pellicle, which is the commencement of 
the oxidation of the metal. When this pel- 
licle is removed, another forms, and so on 
successively, till the whole is oxidated. By 
continuing the heat, and by agitation, the 
proce’x goes on more rapidly, and the me- 
tal is converted into a whitish powder. 
This oxide contains about twenty parts of 
oxygen in 100 of the metal. With the ad- 
dition of lead, to promote the oxidation, 
this oxide is the putty of tin. It contains 
about two parts of oxide of lead, and one 
p'vt of oxide of tin. But when tin is 
strongly heated, it ’s converted into a fine 
white oxide, which, during the process, 
gives out a vivid white flame. Tiiis oxide 
is condensed ir. the cold, and crystallizes in 
shbing, transparent needles. 
Tin combines with two proportions of 
oxygen, thus forming two oxides. The yel- 
low oxide, which has the smaller propor- 
tion of oxygen, may be prepared by dis- 
solving tin in nitric acid diluted with water, 
vdtiiout the aid of heat. By precipitating 
tne oxide with pure potash, it is obtained 
in the form of a yellowish powder. Its 
component parts are 
Oxygen 20 
Tin 80 
100 I 
By dissolving tin in concentrated nitric 
acid, with the assistance of heat, the whole 
.c converted with effervescence into a white 
powder, which falls to the bottom of the 
vessel. The component parts of this oxide 
are 23 oxygen, and 72 of tin. 
Thosphonis combines very readily with 
tin, by projecting bits of phosphorus on 
melted tin in a crucible. A phosphnret of 
tin is thus obtained, which crystallizes on 
cooling. This compound is of a silvery 
white colour, may be cut with a knife, and 
extended under the hammer, but soon se- 
parates into plates. Sulphur combines very 
readily with tin, by adding the sulphur to 
the metal while in a state of fusion. This 
compound forms a greyish or bluish mat- 
ter, which has a metallic lustre, a lamel- 
lated structure, and crystallizes in cubes, or 
in octahedrons. It is decomposed by acids 
with effervescence. The component parts 
are, according to Bergman, 
Tin 80 
Sulphur 20 
WO 
If equal parts of oxide of tin and sulphur 
be fused together in a retort, sulphurous 
