Stannate

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In chemistry, the term stannate or tinnate refers to compounds of tin (Sn). Stannic acid (Sn(OH)₄), the formal precursor to stannates, does not exist and is actually a hydrate of SnO₂.{{Holleman&Wiberg}} The term is also used in naming conventions as a suffix; for example the hexachlorostannate ion is {{chem|SnCl|6|2−}}.

In materials science, two kinds of tin oxyanions are distinguished:

• orthostannates contain discrete {{chem|SnO|4|4−}} units (e.g. K₄SnO₄) or have a spinel structure (e.g. Mg₂SnO₄)
• metastannates with a stoichiometry M^IISnO₃, M{{su|p=I|b=2}}SnO₃ which may contain polymeric anions or may be sometimes better described as mixed oxides

These materials are semiconductors."Preparation, characterization and structure of metal stannates: a new family of photocatalysts for organic pollutants degradation." Handbook of Photocatalysts (2010), pp. 493–510. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, NY