of the glaze. The degree of dissolution increases with the firing temperature, and hence the extent of opacity diminishes. Although dependent on the other constituents the solubility of tin oxide in glaze melts is generally low. Its solubility is increased by Na2O, K2O and B2O3, and reduced by CaO, BaO, ZnO, Al2O3, and to a limited extent PbO. SnO2 has been used as pigment in the manufacture of glasses, enamels and ceramic glazes. Pure SnO2 gives a milky white colour; other colours are achieved when mixed with other metallic oxides e.g. V2O5 yellow; Cr2O3 pink; and Sb2O5 grey blue. Dyes This oxide of tin has been utilized as a mordant in the dyeing process since ancient Egypt. A German by the name of Kuster first introduced its use to London in 1533 and by means of it alone, the color scarlet was produced there. Polishing Tin(IV) oxide can be used as a polishing powder, sometimes in mixtures also with lead oxide, for polishing glass, jewelry, marble and silver. Tin(IV) oxide for this use is sometimes called as "putty powder" or "jeweler's putty". Glass coatings SnO2 coatings can be applied using chemical vapor deposition, vapour deposition techniques that employ SnCl4 or organotin trihalides e.g. butyltin trichloride as the volatile agent. This technique is used to coat glass bottles with a thin (<0.1 μm) layer of SnO2, which helps to adhere a subsequent, protective polymer coating such as polyethylene to the glass. Thicker layers doped with Sb or F ions are electrically conducting and used in electroluminescent devices and photovoltaics. Gas sensing SnO2 is used in sensors of combustible gases including carbon monoxide detectors. In these the sensor area is heated to a constant temperature (few hundred °C) and in the presence of a combustible gas the electrical resistivity drops. Room temperature gas sensors are also being developed using reduced graphene oxide-SnO2 composites(e.g. for ethanol detection). Doping with various compounds has been investigated (e.g. with CuO). Doping with cobalt and manganese, gives a material that can be used in e.g. high voltage varistors. Tin(IV) oxide can be doped with the oxides of iron or manganese. References Further reading Technical discussion of how SnO2:F is used in low-emissivity (low-E) windows. The report includes reflectance and transmittance spectra. Information on chemical safety and exposure limits Oxides Tin(IV) compounds Semiconductor materials