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[MDH]

Since Tin Oxide is easily available from potters and other suppliers of common metallic oxides, and is relatively non-toxic, I thought I'd start a thread on it.

Tin can be a precursor to the tin chlorides, which can be used in the synthesis of Ammonium Hexachlorostannate in combination with ammonium chloride, which can be reacted to other hexachlorostannates, with the copper salt containing more than 50% chlorine. Tin Chloride itself can be used in white smoke compositions, and as a weak chlorine donor, though it is hygroscopic. Tin Oxide has been tested with failure as an alternative to Bismuth Oxide in crackling stars, but that does not necessarily exclude testing it in other applications such as glitter alteration or thermite.

By itself, tin trichloride has a sky blue emission much like arsenic and antimony, which has been used to produce toy blue lights with potassium nitrate and sulfur, and at substantially higher temperatures emits a weak ivory pink.

[Mumbles]

Tin doesn't have a very stable 3+ oxidation state. Neither of the stable tin chlorides are really suited to pyro. Tin (IV) chloride is a fuming liquid at RT. Tin (II) Chloride can be unstable in the presence of water and/or oxygen. They both form stable hydrates, but can't be dehydrated by heat and require rather powerful dehydrating agents.

The hexachlorostannates seems stable and can be made from the tin (IV) chloride hydrate. I really can't find any information about the copper salt, though the ammonium salt decomposes in hot water so the traditional methods of decomposing excess ammonia may not work. You better hope the copper salt is insoluble, or can be easily extracted. It might be best to form hexachlorostannic acid, or try to form the copper salt directly with anhydrous Copper (II) chloride and anhydrous stannic chloride.

Edited by Mumbles, 11 November 2010 - 01:31 AM.