Why is iron COOL?
Iron is cool because it is...
-The 4th most abundant element in the earth's crust
-The second most abundant metal
-The most widely used metal (in the form of steel)
-The 4th most abundant element in the earth's crust
-The second most abundant metal
-The most widely used metal (in the form of steel)
MIND.
BOGGLED.
Why do we NEED iron?
Not only is iron in the earth; it's in you, too! We need iron to live healthy lives. We get iron from the food we eat... if the food contains iron, that is. Foods containing Vitamin C usually help your body digest and use iron.
Here are a few foods containing iron...
Here are a few foods containing iron...
Iron is also in our blood. It's in a substance known as hemoglobin, the stuff that carries oxygen through the blood. It also gives blood its red color.
A deficiency (a smaller amount than is healthy) of iron can result in a serious health problem known as hemochromatosis, and a form of anemia. You don't want to be without IRON!
How can iron be USED?
It is unlikely that you've ever seen something that doesn't contain iron--- IRON IS EVERYWHERE! How do magnets stick to refrigerator doors? There's IRON in the refrigerator doors! Why do cars get rusty the older they get? The car's shell contains IRON! Ever seen anything made of steel? Well, that's IRON too!
*IRONically, silverware is NOT made of silver... but it DOES contain some iron if it's stainless steel silverware!
IRON IS VERSATILE!
How much does it COST to GET iron?
Iron is the CHEAPEST metal! Because it is so abundant and easy to find, iron doesn't cost much at all. It's only two cents per 100 grams!
TWO CENTS PER 100 GRAMS!
TWO CENTS PER 100 GRAMS!
Here's my two cents on the cost of iron.
What is iron LIKE?
Symbol: Fe Atomic Number: 26 Atomic Mass: 55.85 Type: Metal
In its pure form, iron is a soft, silvery-white metal--- but this isn't how you'd find iron! Iron very rarely occurs by itself; rather, it occurs in several substances known as ores. (See What does iron come from?)
It has magnetic properties! Metals containing prominently iron attract magnets. Or maybe the magnets attract the iron!
It is also lustrous (shiny), malleable, and ductile.
WHAT does iron COME from?
Iron can be found in numerous ores (a substance in which a profitable metal can be found and from which it can be removed), including the mineral known as pyrite, commonly called fool's gold! Other ores containing iron are hematite (the most common iron ore), magnetite, and siderite.
Hematite is abundant in the US states of Minnesota (particularly in its Mesabi range), Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Hematite is abundant in the US states of Minnesota (particularly in its Mesabi range), Wisconsin, and Michigan.
How do they MAKE the iron?
Iron is usually prepared (made into a pure substance) by melting the iron ore in a blast furnace. The iron produced from the process done inside the furnace is known as pig iron.
Professor Flannigan's observation of one such blast furnace:
"Behind me is a real blast furnace in which they make pig iron from hematite! Look at the size of it!"
So what is the process that goes into this making of "pig iron"?
Let's say the mineral we're removing iron from is hematite. To state it simply, they put the hematite into the furnace, where it gets heated. The heat and the burning of coke (not the soda) melts down the ore and separates the iron from the rest of the mineral (now called slag). The slag is then removed from the furnace through a duct, and, once the iron is no longer mixed in with slag, it gets channeled through a second duct further down. Ta-da! IRON IS BORN!
THANK YOU!
CONGRATULATIONS! You now know more about iron than you did before! Hooray for you!
If you have any further questions about iron, ask them in the FORUM! I'll be willing to find any information you'd like to know and add it to the page!
If you have any further questions about iron, ask them in the FORUM! I'll be willing to find any information you'd like to know and add it to the page!