Element-ary History

Iron's Element-ary History

Iron is a transition metal and is a well known element.

Iron has been around since ancient times, so we don't know exactly who discovered iron, only that it has been around for a long time. Iron is believed to be discovered from meteorites. Iron's presence can be proven easily because it is a solid opaque element that is usually mined for the pure form. 

Iron is believed to make up most of the earth's core. Iron can be found in the ground when mining, and can also be found in the food we eat. For example, iron can be found in most of the meat we eat that contained hemoglobin, such as red meat, fish, and poultry. Common compounds formed with iron are: 

• Ferrous sulfate: FeSO4
• Ferrous nitrate: Fe (NO3 )2
• Ferrous oxide: FeO
• Ferrous phosphate: Fe2 (PO4 )2
• Ferric sulfate: Fe2 (SO4 )3
• Ferric phosphate: FePO4
• Ferric oxide: Fe2 O3

The atomic structure of iron is not very complicated as shown below. Iron consists of 26 protons within nucleus, 26 total electrons, and 30 neutrons. Iron is a transition metal, so it can be found in group 8 period 4.

This is the atomic structure of iron.

Iron is used for a lot of things. It is used to build buildings, and create structures. It is used for the structure of cars, ships, and tools. Iron is also an important thing for our body. Iron in the hemoglobin in our blood helps carry oxygen. People can be iron deficient which means they do not have enough iron in their blood stream so they can take iron supplements to help have more iron.

This is a picture of Iron.