The static and dynamic properties of β-Sn, SnO, and ${\mathrm{SnO}}_2$ are studied using the full-potential linear-muffin-tin-orbital method within the local-density approximation (LDA). Equilibrium lattice parameters and bulk moduli (including pressure variations) are in excellent agreement with experimental values. The cohesive energies are calculated too large, in accordance with the usual overbinding found in the LDA. Optical Γ-point phonon frequencies are obtained using the frozen phonon approach. For those phonon modes which have been measured, experimental identifications are confirmed, with the single exception of the ${\mathit{B}}_{1\mathit{g}}$ mode of SnO, for which we find a frequency that is three times larger than the measured value. It is argued that the assignment of the observed mode is wrong.

We have used electron energy-loss spectroscopy to search for differences in the energy-loss near-edge structure of SnO, ${\text{SnO}}_2$, and an intermediate oxide, with a view to distinguishing them unambigously. We have found that the oxygen $K$ edge exhibits clear differences that can be used for fingerprinting each phase. The oxygen edge appears at the same position for each phase whereas a chemical shift of the Sn $M_{4,5}$ edge of about $3.5\text{eV}$ was observed between phases with Sn in $2+$ and $4+$ oxidation states. Both observations can be used to distinguish between the three phases, allowing their on-line identification within nanostructured materials.