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Tin

Element 50 · Post-transition metal

Specimen

Atomic number
50
Atomic mass
118.71
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
231.9 °C
Boiling point
2,602 °C
Density
7.287 g/cm³
Discovered
Ancient

Physical data from PubChem.1

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Harmful. Tin from tin-plated cans can get into food. JECFA says 250 mg of tin per kg of canned food can irritate the stomach. Metallic tin is not very toxic, because the gut absorbs little of it. 23

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The atom

Sn
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 18
4 (N) 18
5 (O) outermost 4
Total50

Configuration [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p²

4d ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓
5s ↑ ↓
5p ↑ ↑
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 50 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Kr core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 14
C Carbon Si Silicon Ge Germanium Pb Lead Fl Flerovium

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Sources

  1. 1

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  2. 2

    Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 2006. Tin (JECFA evaluation, 64th meeting) .

    • inorganic tin concentrations of >150 mg/kg in canned beverages or 250 mg/kg in canned foods may produce acute gastric irritation in certain individuals
  3. 3

    Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 2005. ToxFAQs for Tin and Tin Compounds .

    • Metallic tin is not very toxic due to its poor gastrointestinal absorption.