Chemical Fact Sheet
Iron
| Chemical Abstract Number (CAS #) | 7439-89-6 |
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| Synonyms | ARMCO-IRON; EO5A; FERROVAC-E; FERRUM; LOHA; PZH-1M3; PZH-2; PZH1M1; PZH2M; PZH2M1; PZH2M2; PZH3; PZH3M; PZH4M; SUY B-2 |
| Analytical Methods | 200.7 - 200.8 - 6010 - 6020 |
| Molecular Formula | Fe |
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Synopsis
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Iron - (Anglo-Saxon, iron), Fe (L. ferrum); at. wt. 55.845(2); at. no. 26; m.p. 1538 deg C; b.p. 2861 deg C; sp. gr. 7.874 (20 deg C); valence 2, 3, 4, or 6. The use of iron is prehistoric. Genesis mentions that Tubal-Cain, seven generations from Adam, was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron." A remarkable iron pillar, dating to about A.D. 400, remains standing today in Delhi, India. This solid shaft of wrought iron is about 7-1/4 m high by 40 cm in diameter. Corrosion to the pillar has been minimal although it has been exposed to the weather since its erection. Iron is a relatively abundant element in the universe. It is found in the sun and many types of stars in considerable quantity. Its nuclei are very stable. Iron is found native as a principal component of a class of meteorites known as "siderites", and is a minor constituent of the other two classes. The core of the earth, 2150 miles in radius, is thought to be largely composed of iron with about 10% occluded hydrogen. The metal is the fourth most abundant element, by weight, making up the crust of the earth. The most common ore is hematite (Fe2O3), which is frequently seen as black sands along beaches and banks of streams. Taconite is becoming increasingly important as a commercial ore. Common iron is a mixture of four isotopes. Ten other isotopes are known to exist. Iron is a vital constituent of plant and animal life, and appears in hemoglobin. The pure metal is not often encountered in commerce, but is usually alloyed with carbon or other metals. The pure metal is very reactive chemically, and rapidly corrodes, especially in moist air or at elevated temperatures. It has four allotropic forms, or ferrites, known as alpha, beta, gamma and delta, with transition points at 700, 928, and 1530 deg C. The alpha form is magnetic, but when transformed into the beta form, the magnetism disappears although the lattice remains unchanged. The relations of these forms are peculiar. Pig iron is an alloy containing about 3% carbon with varying amounts of S, Si, Mn, and P. It is hard, brittle, fairly fusible, and is used to produce other alloys, including steel. Wrought iron contains only a few tenths of a percent of carbon, is tough, malleable, less fusible, and has usually a "fibrous" structure. Carbon steel is an alloy of iron with carbon, with small amounts of Mn, S, P, and Si. Alloy steels are carbon steels with other additives such as nickel, chromium, vanadium, etc. Iron is the cheapest and most abundant, useful, and important of all metals. Natural iron contains four isotopes and isomers. Twenty one other isotopes and isomers, all radioactive, are now recognized. |
| Use | IN MFR OF IRON AND STEEL CASTINGS (PIG IRON), OF ALLOYS WITH CARBON, CHROMIUM, & OTHER METALS; AS A MATERIAL TO INCREASE DENSITY OF OIL WELL DRILLING FLUIDS ALLOYED WITH CARBON, MANGANESE, CHROMIUM, NICKEL & OTHER ELEMENTS TO FORM STEELS; (55)FE & (59)FE USED IN TRACER STUDIES; FORMER IN BIOLOGICAL STUDIES CATALYSTS The main uses for DRI are as prime metallic iron units for electric furnace steelmaking and foundry operations, as a coolant in BOF (Bessemer-oxygen furnace) steelmaking, as a replacement for scrap in the open hearth, and for increasing productivity and decreasing coke ratio in blast furnaces and other smelting processes. Minor uses for DRI are as a chemical reagent for copper cementation and for the manufacture of iron powder for powder metallurgy applications. Recently, the solid-based DR processes have been adapted to the reduction of agglomerates that are produced from waste iron-bearing materials generated in steel plants primarily for recycling to the blast furnace |
| Consumption Patterns | FOR STEEL MILL PRODUCTS (SHIPMENTS): 41% FOR SHEETS AND STRIP; 17% FOR BARS AND TOOL STEELS; 16.6% FOR STUCTURAL SHAPES AND PLATES; 9.8% FOR PIPE AND TUBING; 6.8% FOR PLATE AND TINPLATE; 5% FOR INGOTS, CASTINGS, BLOOMS, ETC; 2.9% FOR WIRE; AND 1.6% FOR RAILS AND TRACK ACCESSORIES (1974) >90% of pig iron is used in steel making furnaces (1981) |
| Apparent Color | SILVERY-WHITE OR GRAY, SOFT, DUCTILE, MALLEABLE METAL; IN POWDER FORM IT IS BLACK TO GRAY; CUBIC; TENACIOUS, LUSTROUS METAL |
| Boiling Point | 3000 DEG C |
| Melting Point | 1535 DEG C
MP: CAST 1000-1300 DEG C; WROUGHT 1500 DEG C; STEEL 1300 DEG C SOMEWHAT MAGNETIC METAL; HOLDS MAGNETISM ONLY AFTER HARDENING (AS ALLOY STEEL, EG ALNICO) ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY (20 DEG C): 9.71 MICROHM-CM |
| Molecular Weight | 55.847 |
| Density | CAST 7.76; WROUGHT 7.25-7.78; STEEL 7.6-7.78 |
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Chemical and Physical Properties |
READILY ATTACKED BY DIL MINERAL ACIDS & ATTACKED OR DISSOLVED BY ORG ACIDS NOT APPRECIABLY ATTACKED BY COLD SULFURIC ACID OR NITRIC ACID, BUT IS ATTACKED BY HOT ACIDS 4 NATURALLY OCCURRING ISOTOPES (54)FE, (56)FE, (57)FE, (58)FE VALENCES 2, 3; SELDOM 1, 4, 6 |
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Environmental Impact |
MINING & HANDLING OF IRON ORES PROVIDE EXPOSURES TO DUSTS OF SILICON DIOXIDE & IRON OXIDES. CARBON MONOXIDE IS HAZARD IN OPERATION OF BLAST FURNACES. USE OF FLUORSPAR (CAF2) IN STEELMAKING GIVES RISE TO GASES CONTAINING SILICON TETRAFLUORIDE & OTHER FLUORIDE CONTAINING SUBSTANCES. |
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Environmental Fate |
2ND MOST ABUNDANT METAL IN EARTH'S CRUST AFTER ALUMINUM: ABOUT 5%. EARTH'S CORE IS BELIEVED TO CONSIST MAINLY OF IRON. IMPORTANT ORES INCL HEMATITE (FE2O3), MAGNETITE (FE3O4), LIMONITE [FEO(OH).XH2O] & SIDERITE (FECO3). Native iron is found in Greenland, where it occurs as very small grains or nodules in basalt that erupted through beds of coal. The contents of copper, molybdenum, sulphur, zinc, selenium, iron, manganese, and the copper/molybdenum ratio were determined in different native plant species from a mountain area of central southern Norway. The overall mean values and ranges (mg/kg DM) were copper: 6.0, 0.9-27.2; molybdenum: 0.25, 0.01-3.57; zinc: 77, 8-320; selenium: 0.05, less than 0.01-0.32; iron: 208, 15-2245; manganese: 338, 31-3784; sulfur: (g/100 g DM) 0.20, 0.03-0.56; copper/molybdenum: 79, 1-7955. Levels of the individual elements showed considerable variability, both between and within plant groups. Mineral contents were compared with the established requirements for sheep and cattle, the following conclusion being drawn. The levels of zinc, sulphur, iron, and manganese were found to be adequate for ruminants. |
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Drinking Water Impact |
A study was conducted on the distribution of managanese, iron, copper, lead, and zinc in the water and sediment of Kelang esturary in 1981. The mean total levels of manganese, iron, copper, lead, and zinc in the estuarine water were 27.1 ug/l, 106.5 g/l, 10.0 ug/l, 4.1 ug/l and 17.9 ug/l respectively. The results indicate that Kelang estuary is polluted with lead, manganese, and iron. However, levels of these heavy metals may still be considered safe for aquaculture, if the farm is located at least 10 km away from the river mouth. |
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Disposal |
MAY BE DISPOSED OF IN SEALED CONTAINER IN A SECURED SANITARY LANDFILL. USED PAPERS & CLOTHS WHICH HAVE BECOME CONTAMINATED WITH POWDERS SHOULD BE KEPT WET IN COVERED CONTAINERS UNTIL THEY ARE REMOVED TO BE BURNED, WHICH SHOULD BE DONE AT LEAST DAILY. |
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