< The periodic table
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Discovery

It's harder to trace Iron (Latin: ferrum) than Gold (Au) and Silver (Ag) because Iron corrodes (meaning it's destroyed by chemical reactions) easily.

Iron has been used since the ancient times, from meteorites (which was probably the first time human beings dealt with iron) to Iraq [Mesopotamia] to Egypt (there has been evidence found that they were people in Iraq and Egypt smelting iron since 5000 BC). Iron was used commonly back in the Roman days (as Pliny the Elder said, "It is by the aid of iron that we construct houses, cleave rocks, and perform so many other useful offices in life").

The adding of carbon to iron was most likely an accident at first, but the incident, that happened in 1000BC, has been a way of improving iron, making steel.

Iron is used today in the modern world.

Quick Facts

Name: Iron

Symbol: Fe

Mass: 55.845

Classification: Transition Metals

Protons: 26

Electrons: 26

Neutrons: 29

Color: silvery

Discovered in: Unknown

Uses

  • Iron is used in steel, in which steel is used in civil engineering and manufacturing industries.
  • Iron is a necessary nutrient for all life forms.

See also

Search for Iron on Wikipedia.

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