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Formula: Sn
Native element
Crystal system: Tetragonal
Specific gravity: 7.31
Hardness: 1½ to 2
Streak: Grey-white
Colour: Tin-white
Solubility: Dissolves in acids and bases.
Abundance: Earth’s crust: 2.3 parts per million by weight, 0.4 parts per million by moles. Solar system: 9 parts per billion by weight,
0.1 parts per billion by moles (ChC)
Melting point: 231.928oC
Boiling point: 2620oC
Environments
Placer deposits rarely
Native tin occurs rarely as greyish metallic grains and nuggets to 1 cm in some placers,
kimberlite pipes or seafloor spreading zones
(Mindat, HOM).
In compounds tin is usually divalent, Sn2+ or tetravalent Sn4+ (ChC).
Associated minerals include platinum,
gold, copper,
sorosite and cassiterite
(HOM).
Localities
At Oued Berkou, Algeria, native tin occurs in greisen
(Dana).
At Oban, Australia, native tin occurs in placer sands
(Dana, Webmin).
At the Nesbitt LaBine Uranium mine, Beaverlodge Lake area, Saskatchewan, Canada,
pitchblende occurs in fractures cross-cutting a
slatey formation. Certain parts of the fractures are heavily mineralised
with calcite, hematite and
pitchblende. Associated with the
pitchblende are pyrite,
chalcopyrite, bornite,
chalcocite, covellite,
sphalerite, galena and
native tin. Samples from three separate veins on the first level and from one vein
on the second level of the mine are highly unusual in that they contain native tin
(AM 39.529-531).
Tin-bearing minerals include:
Alloys
atokite
cabriite
niggliite
paolovite
rustenburgite
sluzhenikinite
sorosite
stistaite
taimyrite
tatyanaite
Arsenides
palarstanide
Sulphides
berndtite
canfieldite
cernýite
hemusite
herzenbergite
hocartite
kësterite
mawsonite
mohite
ottemannite
pirquitasite
rhodostannite
stangersite
stannite
stannoidite
suredaite
teallite
velikite
vinciennite
Selenides
okruginite
svetlanaite
Sulphosalts
cylindrite
erniggliite
franckeite
lévyclaudite
nekrasovite
Oxides
bitikleite
cassiterite
ferronigerite-2N1S
ferrowodginite
jeanbandyite
romarchite
varlamoffite
wodginite
Hydroxides
burtite
mushistonite
natanite
schoenfliesite
tetrawickmanite
vismirnovite
wickmanite
Chloride
abhurite
Monoborates
nordenskiöldine
tusionite
Arsenates
yurgensonite
Nesosilicates
malayaite
toturite
Sorosilicates
kristiansenite
silesiaite
Cyclosilicates
pabstite
Inosilicates
stokesite
Phyllosilicates
eakerite
Alloys - an alloy is a substance that combines more than one metal or mixes a metal with other non-metallic
elements
Arsenides - the arsenide anion is As3-
Sulphides - the sulphide anion is S2-
Selenides - the selenide anion is Se2-
Sulphosalt - AmBnXp: where A is a metal , B usually a semi-metal and X
is sulphur, selenium or tellurium
Oxides - the oxide anion is O2-
Hydroxides - the hydroxide anion is (OH)-
Chlorides - the chloride anion is Cl-
Monoborates - with a single boron triangle (BO3)3- and/or tetrahedron B(O,OH)4
Arsenates - the arsenate anion is (As5+O4)3-
Nesosilicates - insular (Si4+O4)4- groups
Sorosilicate - (Si4+2O7)6- groups
Cyclosilicates - (Si4+nO3n)2n- groups
Inosilicates - single chain - (Si4+nO3n)2n- groups
Phyllosilicates - (Si4+2O5)2- groups
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