Editing Tin (section)

===Physical===
[[File:Tin-2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Drop (liquid)|Droplet]] of solidified molten tin]]
Tin is a soft, [[malleable]], [[ductile]] and highly [[crystal]]line silvery-white [[metal]]. When a bar of tin is bent a crackling sound known as the "[[tin cry]]" can be heard from the [[Crystal twinning|twinning]] of the crystals.<ref name="Hol1985"/> This trait is shared by [[indium]], [[cadmium]], [[zinc]], and [[mercury (element)|mercury]] in its solid state. Tin melts at about {{convert|232|C|F}}, the lowest in group&nbsp;14, and boils at {{convert|2602|C|F}}, the second lowest (ahead of [[lead]]) in its group. The melting point is further lowered to {{convert|177.3|C|F}} for 11&nbsp;nm particles.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-ink-tin-nanoparticles-future-circuit.html |title=Ink with tin nanoparticles could print future circuit boards |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916090032/http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-ink-tin-nanoparticles-future-circuit.html |archive-date=2011-09-16 |df=dmy-all |work=Phys.org |date=April 12, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1088/0957-4484/22/22/225701 |title=Synthesis and characterization of low temperature Sn nanoparticles for the fabrication of highly conductive ink |year=2011 |last1=Jo |first1=Yun Hwan |last2=Jung |first2=Inyu |last3=Choi |first3=Chung Seok|last4=Kim |first4=Inyoung |last5=Lee |first5=Hyuck Mo |journal=Nanotechnology |volume=22 |issue=22 |page=225701 |pmid=21454937 |bibcode=2011Nanot..22v5701J |s2cid=25202674 }}</ref>

{{external media|width=220px |float=left |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXB83Heh3_c β–α transition of tin] at −40&nbsp;°C (time lapse; one second of the video is one hour in real time)}}
β-tin, also called ''white tin'', is the [[allotrope]] (structural form) of elemental tin that is stable at and above room temperature. It is metallic and malleable, and has [[Tetragonal crystal system|body-centered tetragonal]] crystal structure. α-tin, or ''gray tin'', is the nonmetallic form. It is stable below {{convert|13.2|C|F}} and is [[brittle]]. α-tin has a [[diamond cubic]] crystal structure, as do [[diamond]] and [[silicon]]. α-tin does not have [[metal]]lic properties because its atoms form a [[covalent]] structure in which electrons cannot move freely. α-tin is a dull-gray powdery material with no common uses other than specialized [[semiconductor]] applications.<ref name="Hol1985" /> γ-tin and σ-tin exist at temperatures above {{convert|161|C|F}}&nbsp; and pressures above several [[Pascal (unit)|GPa]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=A.M. |last1=Molodets |last2=Nabatov |first2=S.S. |title=Thermodynamic potentials, diagram of state, and phase transitions of tin on shock compression |journal=High Temperature |volume=38 |issue=5 |year=2000 |pages=715–721 |doi=10.1007/BF02755923|bibcode=2000HTemp..38..715M |s2cid=120417927 }}</ref>

In cold conditions β-tin tends to transform spontaneously into α-tin, a phenomenon known as "[[tin pest]]" or "tin disease".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tin Pests {{!}} Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering |url=https://calce.umd.edu/tin-pests |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=calce.umd.edu}}</ref> Some unverifiable sources also say that, during [[Napoleon]]'s Russian campaign of 1812, the temperatures became so cold that the tin buttons on the soldiers' uniforms disintegrated over time, contributing to the defeat of the [[Grande Armée]],<ref>{{cite book |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=YC4Sm5eL4fsC}}|last1=Le&nbsp;Coureur |first1=Penny |last2=Burreson |first2=Jay |title=Napoleon's Buttons: 17&nbsp;molecules that changed history |place=New York |publisher=Penguin Group, USA |date=2004}}</ref> a persistent legend.<ref>{{cite book| last=Öhrström |first=Lars |title=The Last Alchemist in Paris |year=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-966109-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rsc.li/CW_140501 |url-status=dead |title=Book review: The last alchemist in Pari|date=2014-04-29 |first=Simon |last=Cotton |work= [[Chemistry World]] |publisher=[[Royal Society of Chemistry]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810123922/http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2014/04/last-alchemist-paris-lars-ohrstrom |archive-date=2014-08-10 |df=dmy-all |access-date=November 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Emsley |first=John |date=1 October 2011 |orig-year=2001 |title=Nature's Building Blocks: an A-Z Guide to the Elements |edition=New |location=New York, United States |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=552 |isbn=978-0-19-960563-7 |author-link=John Emsley |quote=Only officers had metal buttons, and those were made of brass.}}</ref>

The α-β transformation temperature is {{convert|13.2|C|F}}, but impurities (e.g. Al, Zn, etc.) lower it well below {{convert|0|C|F}}. With the addition of [[antimony]] or [[bismuth]] the transformation might not occur at all, increasing durability.<ref name="Schwartz">{{cite book |first=Mel |last=Schwartz |title=Encyclopedia of Materials, Parts and Finishes |edition=2nd |chapter=Tin and alloys, properties |publisher=CRC Press |year=2002 |isbn= 978-1-56676-661-6}}</ref>

Commercial grades of tin (99.8% tin content) resist transformation because of the inhibiting effect of small amounts of bismuth, antimony, lead, and silver present as impurities. Alloying elements such as copper, antimony, bismuth, cadmium, and silver increase the hardness of tin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tin Alloys – Characteristics and Uses |url=https://www.nuclear-power.com/nuclear-engineering/metals-what-are-metals/alloys-composition-properties-of-metal-alloys/tin-alloys/ |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=Nuclear Power}}</ref> Tin easily forms hard, brittle intermetallic phases that are typically undesirable. It does not mix into a solution with most metals and elements so tin does not have much solid solubility. Tin mixes well with [[bismuth]], [[gallium]], [[lead]], [[thallium]] and [[zinc]], forming simple [[Eutectic point|eutectic]] systems.<ref name="Schwartz" />

Tin becomes a [[superconductor]] below 3.72&nbsp;[[kelvin|K]]<ref>{{cite journal|doi = 10.1016/S0031-8914(35)90114-8|title = The electrical resistance of cadmium, thallium and tin at low temperatures|date = 1935|last1 = Dehaas|first1 = W.|last2 = Deboer|first2 = J.|last3 = Vandenberg|first3 = G.|journal = Physica|volume = 2|issue = 1–12|page = 453|bibcode=1935Phy.....2..453D}}</ref> and was one of the first superconductors to be studied.<ref name="meissner1">{{cite journal
|volume = 21
|issue = 44
|pages = 787–788
|last = Meissner
|first = W.
|author2=R. Ochsenfeld
|title = Ein neuer effekt bei eintritt der Supraleitfähigkeit
|journal = Naturwissenschaften
|date = 1933
|doi = 10.1007/BF01504252
|bibcode=1933NW.....21..787M
|s2cid = 37842752
}}</ref> The [[Meissner effect]], one of the characteristic features of superconductors, was first discovered in superconducting tin crystals.<ref name="meissner1" />