Iron (Ferrum) By Luke Nichols

 Mankind’s first use of Fe was from meteorites, and it dates back to prehistoric time  Cast Iron first produced in China (550 BC), then in Europe in Medieval period  Ideas spread from West Asia and people discovered that Iron made better weapons  Blacksmiths learned how to heat up the Iron ore to make it soft and malleable- they hammered the glowing Iron into weapons  Main use for Iron in ancient times was for sturdy weaponry  Mankind’s first use of Fe was from meteorites, and it dates back to prehistoric time  Cast Iron first produced in China (550 BC), then in Europe in Medieval period  Ideas spread from West Asia and people discovered that Iron made better weapons  Blacksmiths learned how to heat up the Iron ore to make it soft and malleable- they hammered the glowing Iron into weapons  Main use for Iron in ancient times was for sturdy weaponry

Atomic Number:26 Type of Element:Transition Metal Appearance:Lustrous metallic w/ grey tinge Standard Atomic Weight: g  mol -1 Electron Configuration:[Ar] 4s 2 3d 6 Melting Point: 1538  C (2800  F)

 Fourth most common element in Earth’s crust  Abundance estimated to be around 5%  Largest Iron resources around the world:  China, Russia, India, Australia, Brazil, and Canada  Extracting pure Iron from Iron Ore:  Iron is heated in a blast furnace w/ limestone and coke*  Coke reacts w/ the iron oxide to create pure iron  Limestone reacts w/ impurities to make a slag which can be easily extracted  At this point, the Iron is 90% pure- it is known as Pig Iron  Can be further treated to be converted to:  Wrought Iron, Cast Iron, or Steel *Coke= A solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air  Fourth most common element in Earth’s crust  Abundance estimated to be around 5%  Largest Iron resources around the world:  China, Russia, India, Australia, Brazil, and Canada  Extracting pure Iron from Iron Ore:  Iron is heated in a blast furnace w/ limestone and coke*  Coke reacts w/ the iron oxide to create pure iron  Limestone reacts w/ impurities to make a slag which can be easily extracted  At this point, the Iron is 90% pure- it is known as Pig Iron  Can be further treated to be converted to:  Wrought Iron, Cast Iron, or Steel *Coke= A solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air

 Uses of Iron in the past:  1200 B.C.: Used for tools, ornaments, weapons, armor, and other objects- Known as the “Iron Age”  1900 A.D.: Method developed to turn Iron into steel, a much more durable metal- Used greatly in city building projects, building skyscrapers, locomotives, steam boats, etc.  Uses of Iron in Present Day:  Automobiles  Construction  Packaging, shipping  Machinery/ Industrial equipment  Rail transportation  Electrical equipment  Potential uses in the Future:  Iron’s uses seem limitless- it is widely used in a huge variety of instances  Mankind will most likely use Iron forever b/c of its naturally industrious qualities  Uses of Iron in the past:  1200 B.C.: Used for tools, ornaments, weapons, armor, and other objects- Known as the “Iron Age”  1900 A.D.: Method developed to turn Iron into steel, a much more durable metal- Used greatly in city building projects, building skyscrapers, locomotives, steam boats, etc.  Uses of Iron in Present Day:  Automobiles  Construction  Packaging, shipping  Machinery/ Industrial equipment  Rail transportation  Electrical equipment  Potential uses in the Future:  Iron’s uses seem limitless- it is widely used in a huge variety of instances  Mankind will most likely use Iron forever b/c of its naturally industrious qualities

Electron Configuration: 2, 8, 14, 2