What is the Ionic Charge of Tin (Sn)? And Why?

The common Ionic Charges of Tin (Sn) are 2+ and 4+.

But the question is how can you find the ionic charge on Tin (Sn)?

Well, tin is a post-transition element and all the transition and post-transition elements have a variable ionic charge.

The ionic charge of tin (or any other transition or post transition elements) depends on what it is bonded with.

So let’s try to find out the ionic charge of Tin (Sn) using some examples.

You can also refer to the below video from which you will learn to find charge of any ion.

How to find the ionic charge of Tin (Sn)?

As I mentioned earlier, the ionic charge of Tin (Sn) can be found out by looking at what it is bonded with.

So let’s take examples of compounds of Tin (Sn) like SnCl₂, SnCl₄, SnO₂, etc.

Example 1: SnCl₂
In SnCl₂, the Tin (Sn) is bonded to Chlorine (Cl).
You know that the ionic charge of Cl is 1-.
So you can easily say that the ionic charge of Sn should be 2+, then only it will get canceled out.
Hence the ionic charge of Tin in SnCl₂ is 2+.

Example 2: SnCl₄
In SnCl₄, the Tin (Sn) is bonded to Chlorine (Cl).
And again, you know that the ionic charge of Cl is 1-.
So here also you can easily say that the ionic charge of Sn should be 4+, then only it will get canceled out.
Hence the ionic charge of Tin in SnCl₄ is 4+.

Example 3: SnO₂
Similarly in SnO₂, the Tin (Sn) is bonded to Oxygen (O).
And you know that the ionic charge of O is 2-.
So from this, you can easily say that the ionic charge of Sn should be 4+, then only it will get canceled out.
Hence the ionic charge of Tin in SnO₂ is 4+.

In this way, Tin can have variable charges depending on what it is bonded to.

But as seen from the above examples,
The most common charges of Tin (Sn) are 2+ and 4+.

I hope you have understood why tin has variable ionic charges.

Check out some other related topics for your practice.

Related topics:
Charge on ClO3 (Chlorate ion)
Charge of Cadmium (Cd)
Charge of Titanium (Ti)
Charge of Gallium (Ga)
Charge of Silicon (Si)