A site-selective implantation technique has been utilized to incorporate amphoteric tin impurities on the two inequivalent lattice sites in six III–V compound semiconductors. Debye temperatures for 119Sn have been determined by Mössbauer emission spectroscopy. From a comparison of these values to values calculated by means of the mass-defect model on the basis of Debye temperatures for the two host atoms from neutron-scattering experiments, force constants for the impurity atoms have been extracted by an Einstein-Debye Ansatz. Both lower and higher force constants are deduced for the tin impurities as compared to host force constants. Larger force constants are found on V sites than on III sites for tin in gallium compounds, whereas the opposite holds for the indium compounds.