Tin stabilizers for rigid PVC.

Factiva: "Arkema Inc has extended its range of Thermolite tin stabilizers with the addition of 2 new grades. Thermolite products are designed for use in rigid polyvinyl chloride. Thermolite 130 and Thermolite 135 offer the possibility of using a single stabilizer for a variety of pipe-making processes. This means the overall tin content of the finished product is reduced. It also cuts costs and blending errors. Both new grade have been approved for use in drinking water applications."

Yunnan Tin pilots tailings treatment

Metals Place: "Yunnan Tin Company has reported good initial results in the trial operation of a hydrometallurgical method to recover tin, tungsten and copper from tailings, according to Beijing metals consultants Antaike.

The project was conducted by Yunnan Tin's subsidiary Makuang Mining. The trial operation was started in March 2009 and involved the processing of over 10,000 tonnes of ore with 0.2% of tin, 0.1% tungsten and 0.6% copper, with good recoveries of the first two metals in particular"

Bivalent tin(II)-4-methoxyphenoxide: synthesis, characterization, reactivity and antifungal activity

Scopus: "Bivalent tin(II)-4-methoxyphenoxide of composition Sn(OC6H 4OMe-4)2 (1) has been synthesized from the reaction of SnCl2 with bimolar amounts of 4-methoxyphenol and diethylamine in tetrahydrofuran and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance measurement and IR spectral studies."

The complex (1) has also been screened for its antifungal activity

Is Your Cell Phone Funding the Conflict in Congo?

PNN: "According to Raise Hope for Congo, a project of the Center for American Progress, your cell phone may be fueling the conflict in Congo. Here's what they have to say:

The conflict in eastern Congo, the deadliest in the world since World War II, is being fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals that go into our electronic products from cell phones to digital cameras. Over five million people have died as a result of the war, and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped in eastern Congo over the past decade. The armed groups that are perpetuating the violence generate an estimated $144 million each year by trading in four main minerals, the 3 Ts and gold:

Tin – used inside your cell phone and all electronic products as a solder on circuit boards. 53% of tin worldwide is used as a solder, the vast majority of which goes into electronics. Armed groups earn approximately $85 million per year from trading in tin."

There are things you can do. Urge your Senator to co-sponsor the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009:

If passed, this bill would provide the authority and direction for the United States government to help ensure that the mineral trade stops contributing to human rights violations, including killings of unarmed civilians and sexual violence, while at the same time developing mechanisms to allow the Congolese people to benefit from these resources.

In a further positive direction, the bill demands greater transparency and accountability from companies: all companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges - including major electronics companies which are among the largest end-buyers of some of these minerals would have to disclose the origin of their supplies to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For those minerals coming from Congo or neighboring countries, companies would need to disclose the precise mine of origin.

On the website, you can learn more about the life of a Congolese miner and the supply chain of Congo's conflict minerals. You can also take the Conflict Minerals Pledge to:

1. contact the largest makers of cell phones, portable music players, digital cameras, PC’s, and video games, and urge them to sign the pledge;

2. commit to only purchasing electronics from firms that have taken and are abiding by the conflict minerals pledge; and

3. educate fellow consumers and activists about the crisis in Congo, the role of conflict minerals, and how they can be a part of the solution.

Or you can make a video to help spread the word.

Silver aggregates and twofold-coordinated tin centers in phosphate glass: A photoluminescence study

Scopus: "The optical properties of silver species in various oxidation and aggregation states and of tin centers in melt-quenched phosphate glasses have been assessed by optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Glasses containing silver and tin, or either dopant, were studied.

Emission and excitation spectra along with time-resolved and temperature-dependent PL measurements were employed in elucidating the different emitting centers observed and investigating on their interactions. In regard to silver, the data suggests the presence of luminescent single Ag ions, Ag -Ag and Ag -Ag0 pairs, and nonluminescent Ag nanoparticles (NPs), where Ag -Ag0→Ag -Ag energy transfer is indicated."

Preparation of porous tin oxide nanotubes using carbon nanotubes as templates and their gas-sensing properties

Scopus: "Porous tin oxide (SnO2) nanotubes were prepared by using multiwalled carbon nanotubes as templates.

The morphology and crystal structure of the SnO2 nanotubes were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The SnO2 crystallite size was about 5 to7 nm. The as-prepared porous SnO2 nanotubes exhibited a good response and reversibility to some organic gas, such as ethanol and acetone. The sensor responses to 100 ppm ethanol and acetone were 130 and 126, respectively, at a working temperature of 200 'C. In addition, the sensors also exhibited a good response to methanol, propanol, 2-propanol, ethyl acetate, and ethyl ether. The relationship between the gas-sensing properties and the microstructure of the as-prepared SnO2 nanotubes was also discussed"