iron

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Study how iron ore is mined with explosives and crushed and concentrated with remote-controlled machines

Explore an interactive periodic table of the elements

Figure 19: Summary of shock-wave data on the densities of oxides and iron compounds at high pressures and high temperatures. The seismologically derived pressure-density curves for the lower mantle and outer core are included for comparison.

nuclear binding energies

Iron-carbon equilibrium diagram.

Global distribution of iron on the Moon's surface

Figure 9: Structures of some native elements. (A) Close-packed model of simple cubic packing of equal spheres, as shown by iron. Each sphere is surrounded by eight closest neighbours. (B) Close-packed model of the structure of arsenic and antimony. Flat areas represent overlap between adjoining atoms. (C) Partial representation of the structure of diamond. (D) The structure of graphite with sheets perpendicular to the c axis.

Why is blood red?

For Students

Read Next

Abstract vector hi speed internet technology background

History of Technology Timeline

The Apple II

10 Inventions That Changed Your World

Discover

Data analysis of the Super Bowl's "winningest" teams, game locations, MVP winners by position, teams with the most game losses. football, sports, infographic

From Sport to Spectacle: The History of the Super Bowl

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

pg 229Nazi parade features a banner proclaiming, "Death to Marxism."The possibility of a peaceful Germany after World War I was precluded entirely by the terms of the Versailles Treaty and theintransigent hostility of France and England. Stripped of indu

Were the Nazis Socialists?

bird. mourning dove. pigeon and dove. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) family Columbidae.

Nikola Tesla's Weird Obsession with Pigeons

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

iron: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	ferrum • Fe

Photos and Videos

Figure 19: Summary of shock-wave data on the densities of oxides and iron compounds at high pressures and high temperatures. The seismologically derived pressure-density curves for the lower mantle and outer core are included for comparison.

nuclear binding energies

Iron-carbon equilibrium diagram.

Global distribution of iron on the Moon's surface

Figure 9: Structures of some native elements. (A) Close-packed model of simple cubic packing of equal spheres, as shown by iron. Each sphere is surrounded by eight closest neighbours. (B) Close-packed model of the structure of arsenic and antimony. Flat areas represent overlap between adjoining atoms. (C) Partial representation of the structure of diamond. (D) The structure of graphite with sheets perpendicular to the c axis.

Study how iron ore is mined with explosives and crushed and concentrated with remote-controlled machines

Why is blood red?

Learn about the oxygen-transporting function and molecular structure of the protein hemoglobin

How iron is turned into steel

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

ferroalloy ferrous iron compound ferric iron compound alpha iron beta iron delta iron gamma iron oolitic iron deposit iron processing hemochromatosis hydrogen carbon sodium nitrogen sulfur phosphorus boron iodine fluorine zinc

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Kelly, William

William Kelly

American inventor

Georgina Hope Rinehart

Australian business executive

A photo of Jamsetji Tata.

Jamsetji Tata

Indian industrialist

Langley George Hancock

Australian mining industrialist

Abraham Darby

British ironmaster

Thyssen, Fritz

Fritz Thyssen

German industrialist

William Fairbairn

British engineer

John Wilkinson, oil painting by an unknown artist; in the Science Museum, London

John Wilkinson

English ironmaster

Réaumur, detail of an engraving by J. Blanchon

René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur

French entomologist

Christian Lundeberg

Swedish politician

John Roebuck

British physician, chemist, and inventor

Dud Dudley

English ironmaster

Amelia zur Helle Thyssen

German industrialist and philanthropist

August Thyssen

German industrialist

Gayley, James

James Gayley

American metallurgist

John Chipman

American chemist and metallurgist

Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr.

American geologist

Quiz

Model of a molecule. Atom, Biology, Molecular Structure, Science, Science and Technology. Homepage 2010 arts and entertainment, history and society

Science Quiz

Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.

118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz

Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)

Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz

27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes