Estimates have been made from electrode potential measurements of the composition and stability constants of the complexes formed by tin with citric, malic, oxalic and tartaric acids in solutions of the concentration range appropriate to canned fruits. The stability constants suggested are highest for oxalic acid, smular to one another for citric and malic acids and a little lower for tartaric acid. Corrosion rates of tin in oxygen-free solutions of the acids fall in the same order as the stability constants, reflecting the influence on the potential of the tin electrode of changes in Sn2+ concentration.
