Iron (Fe)
Iron is the most widely used metal on Earth and the main component of steel. It is also essential for blood.
Properties of Iron
- Atomic number
- 26
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Atomic mass
- 55.845 u
- Electron configuration
- [Ar] 3d⁶ 4s²
- Melting point
- 1811 K (1537.85 °C)
- Boiling point
- 3134 K (2860.85 °C)
- Density
- 7.874 g/cm³
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 1.83
- Appearance
- Lustrous silvery-gray metal
- Discovered by
- Ancient civilizations
Facts about Iron
- Iron in your blood is what makes it red — it carries oxygen to every cell!
- Earth's core is mostly made of iron!
- Iron is the most used metal in the world — mostly as steel!
- Iron's symbol Fe comes from "ferrum," the Latin word for iron!