Iron Definition and 517 Threads

Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in front of oxygen (32.1% and 30.1%, respectively), forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust.
In its metallic state, iron is rare in the Earth's crust, limited mainly to deposition by meteorites. Iron ores, by contrast, are among the most abundant in the Earth's crust, although extracting usable metal from them requires kilns or furnaces capable of reaching 1,500 °C (2,730 °F) or higher, about 500 °C (900 °F) higher than that required to smelt copper. Humans started to master that process in Eurasia by about 2000 BCE, and the use of iron tools and weapons began to displace copper alloys, in some regions, only around 1200 BCE. That event is considered the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. In the modern world, iron alloys, such as steel, stainless steel, cast iron and special steels are by far the most common industrial metals, because of their mechanical properties and low cost.
Pristine and smooth pure iron surfaces are mirror-like silvery-gray. However, iron reacts readily with oxygen and water to give brown to black hydrated iron oxides, commonly known as rust. Unlike the oxides of some other metals, that form passivating layers, rust occupies more volume than the metal and thus flakes off, exposing fresh surfaces for corrosion. Although iron readily reacts, high purity iron, called electrolytic iron, has better corrosion resistance.
The body of an adult human contains about 4 grams (0.005% body weight) of iron, mostly in hemoglobin and myoglobin. These two proteins play essential roles in vertebrate metabolism, respectively oxygen transport by blood and oxygen storage in muscles. To maintain the necessary levels, human iron metabolism requires a minimum of iron in the diet. Iron is also the metal at the active site of many important redox enzymes dealing with cellular respiration and oxidation and reduction in plants and animals.Chemically, the most common oxidation states of iron are iron(II) and iron(III). Iron shares many properties of other transition metals, including the other group 8 elements, ruthenium and osmium. Iron forms compounds in a wide range of oxidation states, −2 to +7. Iron also forms many coordination compounds; some of them, such as ferrocene, ferrioxalate, and Prussian blue, have substantial industrial, medical, or research applications.

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  1. C

    Solving for Fluid Density: A 2.0 kg Iron Block

    Homework Statement A 2.0 kg iron block is suspended from a spring scale and is submerged in a fluid of unknown density. The spring scale reads 2.55 N. What is the density of the fluid? Homework Equations Buoyant force = mass*gravity Buoyant force = (Density of fluid)*(volume of iron...
  2. U

    Watt needed to heat up an iron, correct?

    an IRON cube with (Length 1.3cm Width 1.3cm Height 0.7cm) so Volume = 1.183cm^3 density of an IRON = 7.8gm/cm^3 so Mass = 9.2274gram Q=mcT c for iron = 0.450 J/(g·K), T difference = 160 degree celsius Q=9.2 . 0.45 . 160 Q=662.4Joule 1Joule = 1 Watt.second so if i need to heat...
  3. G

    Iron Web Browser - Blazingly Fast & Private Browsing

    Wow it's pretty awesome. It is blazingly fast just like google chrome except you don't have to worry about all the privacy issues and google snooping on you in the background. I definitely recommend a download of this browser. Much faster than firefox so far and it doesn't crash all the time...
  4. G

    Lithium Iron Disulfide Battery Chemistry

    I've been researching Lithium Iron Disulfide Batteries, but I've been unable to find the half-equations for the Cathode and Anode. Cathode - Iron Disulfide Anode - Lithium Electrolyte - Organic Solvent Blend (Propylene Carbonite, Dioxolane, Dimethoxyethane) The overall equation is...
  5. G

    Scattering of neotrinos off an iron block

    Homework Statement Consider a beam of neutrinos moving in the x direction at energy of 200 GeV, and passing through a block of iron. (a) The density of iron is ρ = 7.9gcm−3. In the rest frame of the neutrino, what is the flux of iron nuclei which are moving in its direction (give the...
  6. S

    Saturation of Y-Shaped Iron with Permanent Magnet

    Hi If we have a Y shape iron and we put a Permanent Magnet N pole at the bottom leg of the Y in such that it will saturate it. would the top ends of the Y also be saturated. what if instead of 2 we have 20 branches where flux can go. what is the saturation will be like at one branch? thx
  7. G

    Iron: Paramagnet and Last Fusion Product

    Iron: Paramagnetic and Last Fusion Product Iron seems to have many mysterious properties: 1. Strongest ferromagnetic rare Earth element. 2. Last stage of fusion in stars to yield positive energy. 3. Heaviest of the ten most abundant elements. I can imagine how 2 and 3 are likely...
  8. J

    Which Weller Soldering Station to Buy? WESD51, WD1001, or WD1002

    I want to buy a soldering station. Fry's has three different Weller stations all for the same price; the WESD51, WD1001, and the WD1002. Can you tell me which one you would prefer and why? http://www.frys.com/product/4865190?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG"...
  9. sophiecentaur

    Could a Machine Magnetize Cast Iron Parts More Than Steel?

    Does it seem reasonable that a machine which has, up until now, been used for machining steel parts without, apparently, leaving them magnetised could be causing low level magnetisation of the same parts when made of cast iron? There are some DC currents flowing in the machine, apparently but...
  10. A

    Eddy Currents in Magnetic Fields: Copper/Aluminum vs Iron

    Homework Statement It is given that when a copper or aluminium bar is set in oscillation in a magnetic field eddy currents are produced inside the bar. Should it be necessary that the bar should be made of a non-magnetic substance such as copper, aluminium etc.? Can it be a ferromagnetic...
  11. H

    Changing resistance on soldering iron

    So being curious, I opened up my cheapo radioshack battery powered soldering iron and to my surprise there was basically just a resistor and a contact switch which connected to the batteries and the soldering tip. Does this seem correct or am I mistaken. My purpose for opening it is because...
  12. L

    How to Create 1% Iron Solution - Step by Step Guide

    1% iron solution?? Homework Statement Dissolve 1.70g of iron III chloride in 99 ml of distilled water. Mix well and label 1% iron. Homework Equations I've tried to check the value of the iron percentage but I don't succeed. The Attempt at a Solution First I've tried to find...
  13. D

    Solving Iron Metal Production in a Blast Furnace

    I have a problem I can't seem to solve. here it is and here is what I have gotten. Iron metal is produced in a blast furnace through a complex series of reactions the involve reduction of iron(III) oxide with carbon monoxide a. Write a balanced overall equation for the process, including the...
  14. J

    How is the Wave Function for Ionized Iron Constructed?

    Hi. Suppose that you want to fint the wave function for ionized iron which have the electron configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d6 And suppose that the LS-coupling scheme gives accuret enouhgt description och the energy levels. Paulis exclusion principle and Hunds rule gives then that the...
  15. R

    Iron Powder + Epoxy Armature for Generator

    Any have good results by mixing iron powder and epoxy, purpose is to create an armature for a generator.
  16. I_am_learning

    Calculate Magnetic Force on Iron: B0 & Cylinder

    I searched different places but couldn't find how actually you calculate this:- What is the magnitude of force experienced by a cylindrical piece of iron placed near the end of a solenoid with internal field strength B0.
  17. W

    Uranium & Fusion: Why Does the Process End with Iron?

    Is the reason why the energy liberating fustion process ends with uranium(more precisely Iron) is that uranium's bindind energy per nucleon begins to decrease and hence will absorb energy rather than emit it, and thus is not self sustaining? Thanks in Advance
  18. Y

    What Causes the Whistling Noise When Heating Iron and Sulfur?

    I quote from a fellow chemistry teachers' letter (Mike Thompson): "Many colleagues will know that when solid sulphur is heated below some lightly packed iron wool in a test tube or boiling tube a standing wave is sometimes set up and a whistling noise is heard (around middle C with a boiling...
  19. I

    A piece of iron weighing 85.65 grams was burned in air.

    Homework Statement A piece of iron weighing 85.65 grams was burned in air. The mass of the iron oxide produced was 118.37g. 1. Use the law of conservation of mass to calculuate the mass of oxygen that reacted with iron. 2. use the molar mass of oxygen to calculate the number of moles...
  20. T

    Electrolytic reduction of iron ore - Stoichiometry

    Homework Statement Calculate the maximum mass of aluminum that can be made from 408 tonnes of alumina, assuming that aluminum is produced by electrolysis. Homework Equations At the cathode: Al^{3+} (l) + 3e^{-} \Rightarrow Al (l). At the anode: O^{2-} (l) \Rightarrow O_2 (g) + 4e^{-}. Is...
  21. matt_crouch

    How to calculate the density of an iron nucleus

    Homework Statement An iron nucleus has a radius of 5.4x10^-15 and a mass of 9.3x10^-26 what is its mass per unit volume in kg/m^3 Homework Equations Area of a sphere = 4/3(pi)r^3 Density= M/V The Attempt at a Solution i basically plugged everything into the equations so...
  22. J

    Is molten iron a good conductor of electricity?

    Is iron electric conductor also when it's molten?
  23. T

    Iron State with Temperature and Pressure

    Hello, I'm new to the forum and joined because I have a question regarding Iron Properties. I'm interested mainly to understand the Earth's Magnetic field better. So here's my question. Is there some sort of chart plotting Iron State (Gas, Liquid, Soild) in a Temperature vs. Pressure...
  24. T

    Is Rusting Iron a Physical Change?

    This is a quick question. Is it correct to say that the change in color of iron to a reddish-brown color when the iron rusts is a physical change?
  25. Y

    How many grams of iron can be produced from 14.0g of Al and excess Fe3O4?

    Homework Statement Al(s) + Fe3 O4 = Fe (s) + Al2 O3(s) calculate how many grams of iron can be produced when 14.0g of Al are combined with excess FeO4. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I know that I need to balance the solution which is: 8Al(s) + 3Fe3 O4 = 9Fe (s)...
  26. R

    Comparing Magnetic Attraction: Iron vs. Opposite Polarity

    Lets say I take the North pole of a magnet and place it 1 inch from a mass of iron with the same density and shape of the magnet, and somehow measure the force of attraction, I'll label that value "i". And then I take that same magnet and place it the same distance from another identical magnet...
  27. J

    Why is the Iron Law of Oligarchy pessimistic and possibly apathetic?

    The iron law of oligarchy is a political theory, first developed by the German syndicalist sociologist Robert Michels in his 1911 book, Political Parties. It states that all forms of organization, regardless of how democratic or autocratic they may be at the start, will eventually and inevitably...
  28. U

    Iron ball in water, reading on weighing machine

    What is the reading on the scale for the first one?? My friend mentioned that upthrust need not be considered as its an 'internal force', i wonder why?? Shouldnt' the net force dowards be (Weight of stone - pVg) + (Weight of water + pVg) as the water experiences an equal an opposite downthrust...
  29. C

    From Big Bang to Iron: A Timeline of Creation

    If our sun will took around 15 billion years to convert hydrogen (Atomic#1) in helium (Atomic#2) how much time it took, since big bang, to generate heavy atoms like all we have on Earth as iron, uranium, plutonium and etc ?
  30. R

    Oxidizing iron bacteria made to work in reverse

    My employer operates a biological water filtration plant. The first stage of filtration has the raw water passing through a filter embedded with bacteria, the processes used here is aerated biological treatment where oxidizing processes (bio-oxidation) are used and the microbes gain energy when...
  31. S

    Will Black Dwarfs Become Iron Stars in 10^1500 Years?

    If the proton does not decay, will black dwarfs become iron stars in 10^1500 years>
  32. C

    How can you tell that this iron operates using the mains supply?

    Hi, I'm new to the forum so i don't really quite know what I'm doing yet! anyway, i know this question is REALLY basic but physics is not my forte and I'm confused... "John has just bought a new iron and sees this plate on the handle - 230V 1840W 50Hz" John irons a shirt for 10s...
  33. M

    Motion of an Iron Block in Water

    An iron block of the mass 1 kg is suspended on a spring of the spring constant 130 N/m , and merged into a vessel with 10 liters of water. The mass is displaced by 10 cm from its equilibrium position, and released. a. What is the mass of water in the container in kg? I think iron density...
  34. G

    Is there any chance of discovering more isotopes of Iron?

    I have checked Wikipedia and the National Nuclear Data Center and it looks like Iron (Fe) has 28 isotopes. There are 6 additional isotopes that come under the main ones (such as 52mFe under 52Fe) making the total of 34. My question is if there is any possibility that someday more Iron isotopes...
  35. R

    Medical Why do they bother fortifying cereals with iron?

    Doesn't milk block the absorption of iron? :confused:
  36. B

    Determination of iron by redox titration

    If a 2.893 g sample of an unknown containing iron requires 28.45 mL of the permanganate solution described in Pre-Laboratory question 3 to reach the endpoint what is the % Fe in the unknown?
  37. F

    Why doesn't iron give off any energy when it is created through nuclear fusion?

    I know from reading that when the core from a massive star is transformed into iron through the process of nuclear fusion that the star collapses because the newly formed iron core does not put out any energy to support the weight of the star. My question is, why is iron like this when it is...
  38. C

    You're in a room with 2 iron bars

    You're in a room with 2 iron bars. One is a magnet and the other is not. How do you tell which one is the magnet? You have nothing but the iron bars to test this.
  39. R

    Comparing Thermometer Readings of Different Metal Cubes in Boiling Water

    Homework Statement A physics student has two cubes of iron. One cube has three times the volume of the other. The cubes are heated over identical flames for the same amount of time. The cubes are then removed and the temperature of each cube is recorded immediately. How will the thermometer...
  40. C

    Ur in a room with a magnet and an iron bar how do u know which one is the magnet

    ur in a room with 2 iron bars one is a magnet and the other is not , they are the same shape and size , how do u tell which one is the magnet and all u have is the 2 bars to test this nothing else in the room.
  41. P

    How Does a Magnet's Position Change Over Time When Falling Near an Iron Wall?

    I posted this in general math, but then I saw that calculus and analysis was a more appropriate place for it. I am looking for a solution to this problem: When a magnet is dropped from rest near an iron wall, it accelerates downward due to gravity at constant acceleration. It also...
  42. P

    Magnet falling near an iron wall

    When a magnet is dropped from rest near an iron wall, it accelerates downward due to gravity at constant acceleration. It also accelerates toward the wall, and the closer it gets to the wall, the greater the acceleration. Can anyone refer me to a solution that would give the position of the...
  43. M

    What is the Young's modulus of this iron alloy wire?

    Homework Statement A hanging wire made of an alloy of iron with diameter 0.09 cm is initially 2.2 m long. When a 66 kg mass is hung from it, the wire stretches an amount 1.12 cm. A mole of iron has a mass of 56 grams, and its density is 7.87 g/cm3. Based on these experimental measurements...
  44. K

    Calculating Atomic Spacing for Iron Cube

    How do u calculate the atomic spacing on an iron cube? Can someone please help me!
  45. K

    How to calculate the percentage error for moving iron voltmeter?

    the moving iron voltmeter has resistance of 5k ohm at 15c when it reads correcectly when connected to a supply of 200V. and the copper coil's temperature coefficient at 15c is 0.004ohm/c. so what's the percentage error in the reading when it's 50c?
  46. D

    What caused the unexpected results in my electrolysis of Iron Oxide?

    I for inquisitional purposes only recently attempted electrolysis of Iron to create Iron oxide. I used a car battery charger (12v, 2.7A) and two large (assumed iron) nails; a de-ionized water solution (200ml) with approx. 15g sea salt (claimed 99.995%). After starting the reaction (outside with...
  47. A

    Why the base of an electric iron is made thick and heavy?

    Why the base of an electric iron is made thick and heavy?
  48. P

    As strong as cast iron but lighter?

    Good Evening, all... Trying to find a metal for casting that has a density slightly lighter than iron (.28 lbs per cubic inch). I'm looking for a material that is as strong as cast iron, but, reduces the weight of the cast item by 10%. Secondly, the cost and availability should be...
  49. M

    Deoxidizing Fe in an Iron rich crystal

    Hello, I was wondering if we can deoxidize Iron inside a crystal like Kyanite (Natural form), which contains Fe inclusions (sometimes rusty)... Thanks in advance.
  50. D

    Study Valence Band of Iron: Spin-Resolved Photoemission & Inverse Photoemission

    Hi Community! I have to study the valence bad of Iron. Could anyone suggest me some articles where spin-resolved photoemission and inverse photoemission experiments are presented? Obviously textbooks are welcome too :smile: Thanks!
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