SnF2
stannous fluoride · tin(II) fluoride
Stannous fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly used as a key active ingredient in dental hygiene products to promote oral health.
About stannous fluoride
Stannous fluoride is a chemically stable inorganic compound that exists as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its robust thermodynamic profile makes it a reliable material for applications requiring consistent chemical performance and stability under ambient conditions. The compound is characterized by a high degree of structural diversity, with numerous reported crystalline arrangements across materials databases. This structural flexibility underscores its significance in both fundamental solid-state research and practical industrial applications. Its role as a source of fluoride ions is central to its utility in modern chemical formulations.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for stannous fluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Cross-Source DFT Agreement
How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of SnF2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.
Agreement ScoreA normalized confidence score summarizing how closely independent DFT databases agree. Higher scores mean tighter cross-source agreement.
Hull SpreadDifference between the highest and lowest energy-above-hull values reported by comparable sources. Smaller spread means less thermodynamic disagreement.
Sources ComparedNumber and names of computational sources with comparable entries for this formula.
Space Group ConsensusWhether independent sources predict the same crystal symmetry for the lowest-energy structure.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for SnF2, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P212121 (No. 19) | orthorhombic | 3.57 | 0.0000 | -2.401 | — |
| — | — | 3.40 | 0.0000 | -2.543 | — |
| C2/c (No. 15) | monoclinic | 3.27 | 0.0000 | -5.186 | 5.02 |
| P41212 (No. 92) | tetragonal | 3.45 | 0.0023 | -2.399 | — |
| — | — | 2.84 | 0.0045 | -2.538 | — |
| P212121 (No. 19) | orthorhombic | 3.26 | 0.0053 | -5.181 | 4.88 |
| — | — | 2.84 | 0.0054 | -2.538 | — |
| P41212 (No. 92) | tetragonal | 3.25 | 0.0059 | -5.181 | 4.86 |
| — | — | 3.27 | 0.0209 | -2.522 | — |
| — | — | 3.48 | 0.0255 | -2.517 | — |
| — | — | 2.52 | 0.0361 | -2.507 | — |
| — | — | 3.36 | 0.0366 | -2.506 | — |
Applications
Where stannous fluoride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about stannous fluoride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is SnF2?
Stannous fluoride is a stable, insulating inorganic compound commonly used as a key active ingredient in dental hygiene products to promote oral health.
What is SnF2 used for?
What is the band gap of SnF2?
Is SnF2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is SnF2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of SnF2?
What is the density of SnF2?
How many polymorphs of SnF2 are known?
What elements does SnF2 contain?
Where does the data for SnF2 come from?
How It Compares
As a thermodynamically stable fluoride, this compound serves as a benchmark for inorganic tin-based materials. Its status as a well-documented and highly studied substance distinguishes it within the broader landscape of metal halides, where it is valued for its specific reactivity and insulating electronic character.
Data sources & attribution
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
- oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
- mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.
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