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Heavy Metals
Published in Abhik Gupta, Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination of Surface and Underground Water, 2020
Tin (Sn) with an atomic number of 50, an atomic weight of 118.710, and a density of 7.31 g cm–3, has been used since pre-industrial times because of its pliable nature which allows it to be molded at normal temperatures. It is also resistant to acids. Cassiterite or tinstone (SnO2) is the most commercially important ore of tin. Tin sulfides, such as stannite (Cu2FeSnS2) and tealite (PbZnSnS2), are of commercial importance in Bolivia. Its corrosion-resistant properties make tin useful for giving a protective coating on other metals. Iron or steel plates are dipped in a bath of molten tin to produce tinplate. Its main use is for making household utensils and for canning food and beverages. Terneplate, which is used for roofing, is made by coating sheet iron or steel with a lead–tin alloy. Lead–tin alloys are also used to make soft solder, which is used for joining other metals in the plumbing, electrical, and other industries. A tin–copper alloy called speculum can be used to provide bright coating to household utensils or other articles, and for making telescope mirrors. Tin is also a component of a large number of non-ferrous alloys used in a host of industries. Stannic chloride (SnCl4) is an important chemical used as a dehydrating agent, plastic stabilizer, in colors and perfumes in soap, bright coatings on ceramicware, bleaching of sugar, and for surface treatment of glass. Stannous chloride dihydrate (SnCl2·2H2O) is a mordant and reducing agent. Organotin compounds are used as stabilizers and catalysts in the plastics industry, as biocides, and for other uses.
Xanthan gum based investigations into the surface chemistry of cassiterite and beneficiation of cassiterite tailings
Published in Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, 2022
C. Nambaje, L. Mweene, S. Subramanian, K. Sajeev, M. Santosh
Cassiterite (SnO2) is the main mineral for tin (Sn). It has a tetragonal lattice structure with the Sn4+ ions in six-fold coordination with oxygen. It commonly crystallizes in magmatic and magmatic-hydrothermal environments associated with highly fractionated granites (Linnen 1998; Taylor 1979). Cassiterite beneficiation is mainly carried out by gravity concentration or flotation techniques. Consequently, the published literature on cassiterite is focused on the development of surfactants with higher affinity and better adsorption behavior for enhanced flotation, or the influence of particulate properties in gravity separation. Some of the recent findings are summarized in this section.