IRON (FE)

last update 01 oct 08

* Iron is a member of the transition metals family:

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   IRON / Fe / 26

   Pure iron is a silvery-gray, soft metal that rusts in damp air or
   water, and dissolves in acids.  Its symbol Fe is from "ferrum", the
   Latin name for iron.  Four isotopes occur in nature:

     Fe<56/26> / 92%
     Fe<54/26> /  6%
     Fe<57/26> /  2%
     Fe<58/26> /  0.3%

   All are stable.

     atomic weight:       55.845
     abundance:           4th
     density:             7.874 g/cc
     melting point:       1,535 C
     boiling point:       2,750 C
     valence:             2 <3> 4 6
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The "Fe++" ion was once known as the "ferrous" ion while the "Fe+++" was known as the "ferric" ion; they are now known as "iron(II)" and "iron(III)" respectively. Iron is the most common and almost unarguably the most important metal, produced in hundreds of millions of tonnes yearly to build cans, machines, structural elements, and so on. It is an important element in our biological processes, being the core of the hemoglobin molecule in our blood.

Iron is usually alloyed with carbon to harden it, creating steel, though high concentrations of carbon make the alloy brittle, resulting in what is confusingly referred to as "pig iron". It can be alloyed with other metals to provide a range of characteristics.