Iron


 * Atomic Number:** 26
 * Atomic Weight:** 55.845
 * Melting Point:** 1811 K (1538°C or 2800°F)
 * Boiling Point:** 3134 K (2861°C or 5182°F)
 * Density:** 7.874 grams per cubic centimeter
 * Phase at Room Temperature:** Solid
 * Element Classification:** Metal
 * Period Number:** 4 **Group Number:** 8 **Group Name:** none

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. It is a metal. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. Nickel decays to Iron. Elemental iron occurs in meteoroids and other low oxygen environments, but is reactive to oxygen and water. Fresh iron surfaces appear lustrous silvery-gray, but oxidize in normal air to give iron oxides, also known as rust. Pure iron is soft (softer than aluminium), but is unobtainable by smelting. A certain proportion of carbon (between 0.2% and 2.1%) produces steel, which may be up to 1000 times harder than pure iron. Crude iron metal is produced in blast furnaces, where ore is reduced by coke to cast iron, which has a high carbon content. Robert Downey Jr. is iron man!
 * Iron** is a chemical element with the symbol **Fe** (from Latin : //ferrum//) and atomic number 26.

Iron reacts with oxygen to form oxide and hydroxide compounds, like iron II and III.

__Day to Day Iron Uses__ -Iron, even though is incredibly strong, is extremely cheap. Most car and ship structures are made of iron -Irons are used in the Fischer-Tropsch Process to convert carbon monoxide to hydrocarbons used for fuels and lubricants -Iron is mixed with other metals to create stainless steal, one of the most widely used materials in cooking materials/appliances and many buildings and structures -Some people who are at a greater need fro iron can benefit from supplementation. These people include pregnant women, teenage girls and infants. 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. My roomate has high levels of iron in his blood. He is cool and weighs more than he should.

__Facts:__ Iron makes up 5.6% of the earth's crust. Iron is known as a trasition metal. Iron's atomic weight is 55.847, and has been known since prehistoric times.

__Reaction with H2O__ Iron 3 oxide with hydrogen goes to iron and water Fe 2 O 3 + 3H 2 --> 2Fe + 3H 2 O

The mechanical properties of iron and its alloys can be evaluated using a variety of tests, including the Brinell test, Rockwell test and the Vickers hardness test. The data on iron is so consistent that it is often used to calibrate measurements or to compare tests. However, the mechanical properties of iron are significantly affected by the sample's purity: pure research-purpose single crystals of iron are actually softer than aluminium and the purest industrially produced iron (99.99%) has a hardness of 20–30 Brinell. An increase in the carbon content of the iron will initially cause a significant corresponding increase in the iron's hardness and tensile strength. Maximum hardness of 65 Rc is achieved with a 0.6% carbon content, although this produces a metal with a low tensile strength


 * Symbol:** Fe **Atomic Number:** 26 **Atomic Mass:** 55.845 amu **Melting Point:** 1535.0 °C (1808.15 K, 2795.0 °F) **Boiling Point:** 2750.0 °C (3023.15 K, 4982.0 °F) **Number of Protons/Electrons:** 26 **Number of Neutrons:** 30 **Classification:** Transition Metal **Crystal Structure:** Cubic **Density @ 293 K:** 7.86 g/cm3 **Color:** Silvery

Atomic Structure

 * [[image:http://www.chemicalelements.com/bohr/b0026.gif width="277" height="275" caption="Number of Energy Levels: 4"]] ||  ||   ||

Isotopes

 * ** Isotope ** || ** Half Life ** ||
 * Fe-52 || 8.3 hours ||
 * Fe-54 || Stable ||
 * Fe-55 || 2.7 years ||
 * Fe-56 || Stable ||
 * Fe-57 || Stable ||
 * Fe-58 || Stable ||
 * Fe-59 || 54.5 days ||
 * Fe-60 || 1500000.0 years ||

Facts
Fact: Iron man ROCKS! Used for cytochromes and haemoglobin.
 * Date of Discovery:** Known to the ancients **Discoverer:** Unknown **Name Origin:** Latin **Symbol Origin:** From the Latin word //ferrum// (iron) **Uses:** steel, hemoglobin (carries oxygen in blood) **Obtained From:** iron ores

Clothing Irons got their name because traditionally one would heat up the "iron" shaped metal on a hot stove, and wrok out wrinkles that way. Now clothing irons are electrical butweren't always that way.

Biological role
Iron is abundant in biology. Iron-proteins are found in all living organisms, ranging from the evolutionarily primitive archaea to humans. The color of blood is due to the hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein. As illustrated by hemoglobin, iron often is bound to cofactors, e.g. in hemes. The iron-sulfur clusters are pervasive and include nitrogenase, the enzymes responsible for biological nitrogen fixation. Influential theories of evolution have invoked a role for iron sulfides in the iron-sulfur world theory. Structure of Heme b, in the protein additional ligand(s) would be attached to Fe. Iron is a necessary trace element found in nearly all living organisms. Iron-containing enzymes and proteins, often containing heme prosthetic groups, participate in many biological oxidations and in transport. Examples of proteins found in higher organisms include hemoglobin, cytochrome and catalase.

Bioinorganic compounds
The most commonly-known and studied "bioinorganic" compounds of iron (i.e., iron compounds used in biology) are the heme proteins: examples are hemoglobin, myoglobin, and cytochrome P450. These compounds can transport gases, build enzymes, and be used in transferring electrons. Metalloproteins are a group of proteins with metal ion cofactors. Some examples of iron metalloproteins are ferritin and rubredoxin. Many enzymes vital to life contain iron, such as catalase, lipoxygenases, and IRE-BP.

Health and diet
Iron is pervasive, but particularly rich sources of dietary iron include red meat, lentils, beans, poultry, fish, leaf vegetables, fortified bread, and fortified breakfast cereals. Iron in low amounts is found in molasses, teff and farina. Iron in meat (heme iron) is more easily absorbed than iron in vegetables. The absorption of iron can be decreased by tea, coffee, bran and fiber. Although some studies suggest that heme/hemoglobin from red meat has effects which may increase the likelihood of colorectal cancer, there is still some controversy, and even a few studies suggesting that there is not enough evidence to support such claims. An Iron defeciency can result in a conditon called anemia.