Chemical database: 21. Iron

Iron (Fe) is a metallic chemical element that comes in form of a shiny gray solid at standard conditions. Density = 7.87 g/cm3. Melting point = 1538 °C. Boiling point = 2862 °C. Iron is one of the most commonly used metals, accounting for over 90% of global metal production. Because of the low cost and excellent properties of this metal, it is used in the production of various kinds of tools, automobiles, ships, engineering structures and many other products of various industries. Iron has an even wider range of applications in form of various alloys that it forms, from which steel is perhaps the most important one. The only real drawback of iron and some of its alloys is the impact of corrosion.

Iron can be found either pure or in form of many different alloys in a wide range of different products. Since there are many alloys based on other metals, rust (iron(III) oxide) is often a good indicator that shows the presence of iron in a certain material. Iron of highest purity, often in form of a powder, can be ordered from chemical selling companies.