EXTRACTION OF

IRON ORE
INTRODUCTION
PROPERTIES
OCCURENCE
COMPOUNDS
DIAGRAM
Introduction

Iron, (Latin ferrum,”iron”) symbol Fe, magnetic, malleable, silvery white

metallic element. The atomic number of iron is 26; iron is one of the
transition elements of the periodic table (see Periodic Law).
Periodic Table of Elements The periodic table of elements groups elements
in columns and rows by shared chemical properties. Elements appear in
sequence according to their atomic number. Clicking on an element in the
table provides basic information about the element, including its name,
history, electron configuration, and atomic weight. Atomic weights in
parentheses indicate the atomic weight of the most stable isotope.©
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Metallic iron was known and used for ornamental purposes and weapons in
prehistoric ages; the earliest specimen still extant, a group of oxidized iron
beads found in Egypt, dates from about 4000 bc. The archaeological term
Iron Age properly applies only to the period when iron was used
extensively for utilitarian purposes, as in tools, as well as for
ornamentation (see Metalwork). The beginnings of modern processing of
iron can be traced back to central Europe in the mid-14th century bc
PROPERTIES

Oxidation: A Chemical Reaction Iron, in the presence of water, combines with

atmospheric oxygen to form a hydrated iron oxide, commonly called rust. This
process has slowly been transforming these old Pontiacs in New Mexico.Photo
Researchers, Inc./John Mead/Science Source

Pure iron has a hardness that ranges from 4 to 5. It is soft, malleable, and ductile.
Iron is easily magnetized at ordinary temperatures; it is difficult to magnetize when
heated, and at about 790° C (about 1450° F) the magnetic property disappears. Pure
iron melts at about 1535° C (about 2795° F), boils at 2750° C (4982° F), and has a
specific gravity of 7.86. The atomic weight of iron is 55.847.

The metal exists in three different forms: ordinary, or a-iron (alpha-iron); g-iron
(gamma-iron); and δ-iron (delta-iron). The internal arrangement of the atoms in the
crystal lattice changes in the transition from one form to another. The transition from
a-iron to g-iron occurs at about 910° C (about 1700° F), and the transition from g-
iron to δ-iron occurs at about 1400° C (about 2600° F). The different physical
properties of all allotropic forms and the difference in the amount of carbon taken up
by each of the forms play an important part in the formation, hardening, and
tempering of steel.

Chemically, iron is an active metal. It combines with the halogens (fluorine, chlorine,
bromine, iodine, and astatine), sulfur, phosphorus, carbon, and silicon. It displaces
hydrogen from most dilute acids
It burns in oxygen to form ferrosoferric oxide, Fe3O4. When exposed to
moist air, iron becomes corroded, forming a reddish-brown, flaky,
hydrated ferric oxide commonly known as rust. The formation of rust is an
electrochemical phenomenon in which the impurities present in iron form
an electrical “couple” with the iron metal. A small current is set up, water
from the atmosphere providing an electrolytic solution. Water and soluble
electrolytes such as salt accelerate the reaction. In this process the iron
metal is decomposed and reacts with oxygen in the air to form rust. The
reaction proceeds faster in those places where rust accumulates, and the
surface of the metal becomes pitted. See Corrosion.

When iron is dipped into concentrated nitric acid, it forms a layer of oxide
that renders it passive—that is, it does not react chemically with acids or
other substances. The protective oxide layer is easily broken through by
striking or jarring the metal, which then becomes active again.

III OCCURRENCE

Metallic iron occurs in the free state in only a few localities, notably
western Greenland.
COMPOUNDS

Iron forms ferrous compounds in which it has a valence of +2 and ferric compounds in which it has
a valence of +3. Ferrous compounds are easily oxidized to ferric compounds. The most important
ferrous compound is ferrous sulfate (FeSO4), called green vitriol or copperas; it usually occurs as
pale-green crystals containing seven molecules of water of hydration. It is obtained in large
quantities as a by-product in pickling iron and is used as a mordant in dyeing, as a tonic medicine,
and in the manufacture of ink and pigments.

Ferric oxide, an amorphous red powder, is obtained by treating ferric salts with a base or by
oxidizing pyrite. It is used both as a pigment, known as either iron red or Venetian red; as a
polishing abrasive, known as rouge; and as the magnetizable medium on magnetic tapes and disks.
Ferric chloride, obtained as dark-green, lustrous crystals by heating iron in chlorine, is used in
medicine as an alcoholic solution called tincture of iron.

further reading

These sources provide additional information on Iron.

The ferrous and ferric ions combine with cyanides to form complex cyanide compounds. Ferric
ferrocyanide (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3), a dark-blue, amorphous solid formed by the reaction of potassium
ferrocyanide with a ferric salt, is called Prussian blue. It is used as a pigment in paint and in laundry
bluing to correct the yellowish tint left by the ferrous salts in water. Potassium ferricyanide
(K3Fe(CN)6), called red prussiate of potash, is obtained from ferrous ferricyanide (Fe3[Fe(CN)6] 2;
also called Turnbull's blue), and is used in processing blueprint paper. Iron also undergoes
physiochemical reactions with carbon that are essential to the formation of steel.