The Element Iron :: Chemistry Essay

constrict comes from the Latin contrive ferrum. From ferrum its symbol became Fe. The atomic number of iron is 26, and its atomic weight is 55.845. Iron is a magnetic, bendable, shiny white metallic element.Pure iron has a hardness that ranges from 4 to 5. It is soft and ductile. Iron can be comfortably magnetized at ordinary temperatures and at 790C the magnetic position disappears. Pure iron melts at virtually 1535C, boils at 2750C, and has a special(prenominal) gravity of 7.86. Chemically, iron is an active metal. When exposed to humid air, iron forms a reddish-brown, flaky, decay known as rust.Iron is the fourth most rich element in the Earths crust. Beca engagement it is so common, iron has been utilize by human society for thousands of years. Iron was known and used for weapons in prehistoric ages, the earliest example still in existence a group of rusty iron beads found in Egypt, dates from about 4000BC. This period in history was given the name Iron senesce because it was the time when people found ways to get iron and to use it for building tools and weapons. The beginnings of modern processing of iron can be traced backrest to central Europe in the mid-14th century BC. Pure iron has peculiar(a) use in todays world. Commercial iron continuously contains small amounts of carbon and other impurities that change its physical properties, which are ofttimes improved by the further addition of carbon and other alloying elements. This helps to hamper oxidation, also known as rust. Iron is an essential part of a healthy diet. Iron compounds are employed for medicinal purposes in the preaching of anemia, when the amount of hemoglobin or the number of red blood corpuscles in the blood is lowered.