USEFUL FACTS ABOUT IRON - Iron is an element that has been known in its pure form for at least 5,000 years. Iron is one of the most plentiful elements. It comprises about 5.6 percent of the Earth's crust and almost all of its core. The single largest use of iron is to make steel, an alloy of iron, and a smaller amount of carbon. Animals and plants require iron. Plants use iron in chlorophyll, the pigment used in photosynthesis. Humans use iron in hemoglobin molecules in blood to allow for the transport of oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

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Useful Facts About Iron

Interesting and Useful Facts about Iron

by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. 

Iron is one of the elements you encounter in its pure form. It is essential for nutrition and used in a variety of household objects.

Here are some quick facts about iron.

Iron Facts

·          Iron is an element that has been known in its pure form for at least 5,000 years. The name "iron" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "iron" and Scandinavian "iarn" for the metal.

·          The element symbol for iron is Fe, which comes from the Latin word for iron, "ferrum."

·         Iron is one of the most plentiful elements. It comprises about 5.6 percent of the Earth's crust and almost all of its core.

·          The single largest use of iron is to make steel, an alloy of iron, and a smaller amount of carbon. According to archaeological records from Anatolia — also called Asia Minor, a peninsula that today makes up the Asian part of Turkey — man has been producing steel for at least 4,000 years.

·          Iron is a transition metal.

·          Iron is not always magnetic. The a allotrope (or form) of iron is ferromagnetic, yet if it is transformed to the b allotrope, the magnetism disappears even though the crystal lattice is unchanged.

·         Animals and plants require iron. Plants use iron in chlorophyll, the pigment used in photosynthesis. Humans use iron in hemoglobin molecules in blood to allow for the transport of oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

·          Although iron is an essential mineral, much of it is extremely toxic. Free iron in the blood reacts with peroxides to form free radicals that damage DNA, protein, lipids and other cellular components, leading to illness and sometimes death. Twenty milligrams of iron per kilogram of body weight is toxic, while 60 milligrams per kilogram is lethal.

·         Iron primarily forms compounds with +2 and +3 oxidation states.

·         Iron is formed via fusion in stars that have sufficient mass. The sun and many other stars contain significant amounts of iron.

Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Science educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

ThoughtCo and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.

Widely-published graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other illustrations used in science.

Experience

Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels. She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.

In addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college professor. 

Education

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.

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https://www.thoughtco.com/interesting-iron-facts-606469