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Article: Iron
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Iron
melting point:
1,535
°
C
boiling point:
2,750
°
C
density:
7.874 g/cm
3
(at 20
°
C)
most common ions:
Fe
2+
,
Fe
3+
Iron, believed to have been introduced on Earth by meteors, was found in Egyptian tombs dating from 3500 b.c.e. The Hittites (in the area known today as Turkey) smelted iron from ore around 1500 b.c.e. From ancient times to the present, the major use of iron has been in the production of steel.
Elemental iron, the major element in Earth's core, is the fourth most abundant element in Earth's crust (about 5.0% by mass overall, 0.5%
–
5% in soils, and approximately 2.5 parts per billion in seawater.) In the crust, iron is found mainly as the oxide ...