10 Solid Facts About Iron

10 Solid Facts About Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe from the Latin ferrum iron 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, just ahead of oxygen, forming much of Earth’s outer and inner core. 

Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust, being mainly deposited by meteorites in its metallic state, with its ores also being found there. In this article, we highlight the 10 solid facts about Iron.

1. Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust

Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust, being mainly deposited by meteorites in its metallic state, with its ores also being found there. 

Earth’s crust is Earth’s thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than 1% of the Earth’s radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a division of Earth’s layers that includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle. Read more interesting facts about the Earth’s Crust.

2. Iron is the most common element on Earth

Diagramma_di_fase_del_ferro_puro.svg: Daniele Pugliesiderivative work: Daniele Pugliesi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Iron is by mass, the most common element on Earth, just ahead of oxygen forming much of Earth’s outer and inner core.

The mass of the Earth is approximately 5.97×1024 kg. In bulk, by mass, it is composed mostly of iron (32.1%), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%), sulfur (2.9%), nickel (1.8%), calcium (1.5%), and aluminum (1.4%); with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements.

3. Iron is a major component of steel

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.  

Since pure iron is quite soft, it is most commonly combined with alloying elements to make steel. The iron and steel industry is thus very important economically.

4. Iron is found in the human body as a component of hemoglobin

PDB code 2DN11.25 a resolution crystal structures of human haemoglobin in the oxy, deoxy and carbonmonoxy forms.Park, S.-Y., Yokoyama, T., Shibayama, N., Shiro, Y., Tame, J.R.(2006) J Mol Biol 360: 690-701DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.05.036Image created using JSmol (Javascript), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The body of an adult human contains about 4 grams 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.

5. Insufficient iron in the body can lead to anemia

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. When loss of iron is not adequately compensated by adequate dietary iron intake, a state of iron deficiency occurs, which over time leads to iron-deficiency anaemia if left untreated, which is characterised by an insufficient number of red blood cells and an insufficient amount of haemoglobin.

Children, women of childbearing age, and people with poor diets are most susceptible to the disease. Most cases of iron-deficiency anemia are mild, but if not treated can cause problems like fast or irregular heartbeat, complications during pregnancy, and delayed growth in infants and children. Read more on 15 Foods you can Eat That are High in Iron. 

6. The process of extracting iron from its ores is called smelting

P sakthy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Iron smelting may have been introduced into China through Central Asia. The process of extracting iron from its ores is called smelting, which involves heating the ores in a furnace with carbon.

7. Iron’s atomic number is 26

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. 

The atomic number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom of that element. Iron’s atomic number is 26, which means it has 26 protons in its nucleus.

8. Iron is a ferromagnetic material

Windmemories, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ferromagnetism is a property of iron that results in an observable magnetic permeability allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. 

This also means that Iron can be magnetized speedily when exposed to a magnetic field.

9. Iron is often found in nature in the form of iron ores

In its natural occurrence, Iron is often found in nature in the form of iron ores, such as hematite, magnetite, and taconite. Extracting usable metal from iron ores requires furnaces capable of reaching 1,500 °C or higher. 

10. When iron reacts with oxygen and moisture, it forms rust

Iron reacts readily with oxygen and water to produce 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 more fresh surfaces for corrosion.

In conclusion, Iron is such a crucial element in our day-to-day life that we cannot imagine a life without it. From its crucial role internally in the human body as a component of haemoglobin to its external use in the making of key elements that we use in the construction industry down to kitchenware, Iron is an important element in the human cycle of life.