Iron: The Element

Iron is a group 8 and period 4 chemical element, with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Although actually silvery-gray in color, a coat of ferrous oxide formed on iron sometimes tends to give it a reddish or brownish color. Iron is the most abundant element found in the core of red giant stars with low or intermediate mass. It also forms the dense core of a few planets, including the Earth. Ferrous ion is one of the most necessary trace elements required by living organisms.

Iron ore is found in abundance and is widely distributed around the globe. It is the 4th most abundant element found in the Earth's crust, making up 5% of the crust. The core of the Earth is assumed to consist of an alloy of iron and nickel. Though in small amounts, iron is also found dissolved in water bodies on the planet.

Characteristics of Iron

Iron is a malleable silver-gray metal, available in four different crystalline forms. As it oxidizes easily in the presence of oxygen and moisture, it is rarely found in its pure form on the surface of the planet. Oxygen has to be removed from naturally occurring ores, by the process of chemical reduction, to obtain iron. It is possible to modify iron ore with different metals and non-metals to produce steel. These non-metals include carbon, silicon etc. ⁵⁶Fe, formed in the stars by the process of nuclear fusion, is the most abundantly found stable nuclide. Iron is also easily magnetized. It is a very good conductor of electricity and heat and iron easily dissolves in dilute acids.

Chemically active in nature, iron forms two prominent groups of chemical compounds, the bivalent iron compound and the trivalent iron compound. Iron degradation and disintegration, due to oxidization or rusting, leads to heavy financial loss all over the world. Application of techniques such as galvanizing, painting, varnishing and enameling helps to prevent the rusting of iron. The trivalent iron compound, ferric chloride, is one of the widely used compounds of iron. If added to water, it reacts with the water molecules to form a thick precipitate of iron hydroxide. It is used in the process of water purification because when the precipitate settles, it traps all the organic and inorganic particles that are suspended in water. The bivalent iron compound, the ferrous compounds are more prone to oxidization than ferric chloride, due to which they are not as commonly used as the trivalent compounds.

Uses of Iron

Use of iron by human beings started centuries ago, with the historical period itself being termed as Iron Age by archaeologists. Since then, the use of this metal has increased by a thousand times. Today it forms the backbone of many industries in developed as well as developing countries. The utilization of iron ranges from kitchenware to aviation industry. Wrought iron is commercially pure iron having a low carbon content. It is used to make outdoor benches, fencing, rail tracks etc. As it has better resistance to oxidization than the other forms, wrought iron is used to make things which will be exposed to all sorts of weather. Alloyed steel, a combination of iron and steel, is ideally used in industries such as construction, automobile manufacturing and ship building. Its ability to sustain itself in different temperatures makes it an ideal choice for these industries. Other uses of iron include cast iron to make cooking appliances, iron acetate in dyeing process, iron arsenate as insecticides etc.

The most common element utilized in day to day life, iron has definitely become the most important metal required by man in this era of development. This metal has contributed to and witnessed the development of man, marching from rugged caves to magnificent skyscrapers, something which would not have been possible sans the discovery of iron - the element.