iron
Also known as element 26
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () 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, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. In its metallic state it was mainly deposited by meteorites.
AI overview
Iron is a chemical element and metal that is the most common element on Earth by mass, making up much of our planet's core. It's valuable because it's abundant, strong, and widely used in everything from construction to manufacturing, with most of Earth's iron having originally arrived via meteorites.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Chemical data
- Formula
- Fe
- Molecular weight
- 55.84 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- iron
- SMILES
- [Fe]
- InChIKey
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- Polar surface area
- 0 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 0
- H-bond acceptors
- 0
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Research
312,259 papersArticle
57 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Allotropes
- Melting and boiling points
- Magnetic properties
- Isotopes
- Origin and occurrence in nature
- Cosmogenesis
- Metallic iron
- Mantle minerals
- Earth's crust
- Oceans
- Chemistry and compounds
- Binary compounds
- Oxides and sulfides
- Halides
- Solution chemistry
- Coordination compounds
- Organometallic compounds
- Industrial uses
- History
- Development of iron metallurgy
- Meteoritic iron
- Wrought iron
- Cast iron
- Steel
- Foundations of modern chemistry
- Recent discoveries
- Symbolic role
- {{visible anchor|Production of metallic iron|Industrial production}}
- Laboratory routes
- Main industrial route
- Blast furnace processing
- Steelmaking
- Direct iron reduction
- Thermite process
- Molten oxide electrolysis
- Applications
- As structural material
- Mechanical properties
- Types of steels and alloys
- Catalysts and reagents
- Iron compounds
- Biological and pathological role
- Biochemistry
- Nutrition
- Diet
- Dietary recommendations
- Deficiency
- Excess
- In the human brain
- Cancer
- Marine systems
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () 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, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust. In its metallic state it was mainly deposited by meteorites.
Extracting usable metal from iron ores requires kilns or furnaces capable of reaching , about 500 °C (900 °F) higher than that required to smelt copper. Humans started to master that process in Eurasia during the 2nd millennium BC and the use of iron tools and weapons began to displace copper alloys – in some regions, only around 1200 BC. 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, due to their mechanical properties and low cost. The iron and steel industry is thus very important economically, and iron is the cheapest metal, with a price of a few dollars per kilogram or pound.