Tin vs Lead
Tin and Lead sit in the same column of the periodic table — same family, one period apart — so almost every difference between them comes from one thing: the extra electron shell Lead wears.
Side by side
| Property | Tin | Lead |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Sn | Pb |
| Atomic number (Z) | 50 | 82 |
| Atomic mass | 118.71 u | 207.2 u |
| Category | Post-transition metal | Post-transition metal |
| Group | 14 | 14 |
| Period | 5 | 6 |
| Phase at room temp | solid | solid |
| Electron configuration | [Kr] 4d^10 5s^2 5p^2 | [Xe] 4f^14 5d^10 6s^2 6p^2 |
| Valence electrons | 4 | 4 |
| Atomic radius | 145 pm | 154 pm |
| Electronegativity | 1.96 | 2.33 |
| First ionisation energy | 709 kJ/mol | 716 kJ/mol |
The verdicts
- Bigger atom: Lead — the lower an element sits in its group, the more shells it wears.
- Greedy electron-taker: Lead — higher electronegativity means it pulls shared electrons harder.
- Heavier: Lead — compare the atomic masses in the table above.
Want the visual version with bars for radius, electronegativity and ionisation energy? Open the interactive compare tool with this pair already loaded.