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iron

 
(ī'ərn) pronunciation
n.
  1. (Symbol Fe) A silvery-white, lustrous, malleable, ductile, magnetic or magnetizable, metallic element occurring abundantly in combined forms, notably in hematite, limonite, magnetite, and taconite, and used alloyed in a wide range of important structural materials. Atomic number 26; atomic weight 55.845; melting point 1,535°C; boiling point 2,750°C; specific gravity 7.874 (at 20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 6.
  2. An implement made of iron alloy or similar metal, especially a bar heated for use in branding, curling hair, or cauterizing.
  3. Great hardness or strength; firmness: a will of iron.
  4. Sports. Any of a series of golf clubs having a bladelike metal head and numbered from one to nine in order of increasing loft.
  5. A metal appliance with a handle and a weighted flat bottom, used when heated to press wrinkles from fabric.
  6. A harpoon.
  7. irons Fetters; shackles.
  8. A tonic, pill, or other medication containing iron and taken as a dietary supplement.
adj.
  1. Made of or containing iron: iron bars; an iron alloy.
  2. Strong, healthy, and capable of great endurance: an iron constitution.
  3. Inflexible; unyielding: iron resolve.
  4. Holding tightly; very firm: has an iron grip.

v., i·roned, i·ron·ing, i·rons.

v.tr.
    1. To press and smooth with a heated iron: iron clothes.
    2. To remove (creases) by pressing.
  1. To put into irons; fetter.
  2. To fit or clad with iron.
v.intr.
To iron clothes.

phrasal verb:

iron out

  1. To settle through discussion or compromise; work out.

idioms:

in irons Nautical.

  1. Lying head to the wind and unable to turn either way.
iron in the fire
  1. An undertaking or project in progress: has many irons in the fire this year.

[Middle English iren, from Old English īren.]


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Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements, chemical symbol Fe, atomic number 26. Iron is the most used and cheapest metal, the second most abundant metal and fourth most abundant element in Earth's crust. It occurs rarely as a free metal, occasionally in natural alloys (especially in meteorites), and in hundreds of minerals and ores, including hematite, magnetite, limonite, and siderite. The human body contains about one-sixth of an ounce (4.5 g) of iron, mostly in hemoglobin and its precursors; iron in the diet is essential to health. Iron is ferromagnetic (see ferromagnetism) at ordinary temperatures and is the only metal that can be tempered (see tempering). Its uses in steels of various types, as well as in cast and wrought iron (collectively, "ferrous metals"), are numerous. Alteration of its properties by impurities, especially carbon, is the basis of steelmaking. Iron in compounds usually has valence 2 (ferrous) or 3 (ferric). Ferrous and ferric oxides (FeO and Fe2O3, respectively) are used as pigments and the latter as jewelers' rouge. Rust is ferric oxide containing water; ferric oxide is widely used as a magnetic recording material in computer data-storage devices and magnetic tapes. Ferrous and ferric sulfates and chlorides are all of industrial importance as mordants, reducing agents, flocculating agents, or raw materials and in inks and fertilizers.

For more information on iron, visit Britannica.com.

Gale's How Products Are Made:

How is iron made?

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Background

Iron is one of the most common elements on earth. Nearly every construction of man contains at least a little iron. It is also one of the oldest metals and was first fashioned into useful and ornamental objects at least 3,500 years ago.

Pure iron is a soft, grayish-white metal. Although iron is a common element, pure iron is almost never found in nature. The only pure iron known to exist naturally comes from fallen meteorites. Most iron is found in minerals formed by the combination of iron with other elements. Iron oxides are the most common. Those minerals near the surface of the earth that have the highest iron content are known as iron ores and are mined commercially.

Iron ore is converted into various types of iron through several processes. The most common process is the use of a blast furnace to produce pig iron which is about 92-94% iron and 3-5% carbon with smaller amounts of other elements. Pig iron has only limited uses, and most of this iron goes on to a steel mill where it is converted into various steel alloys by further reducing the carbon content and adding other elements such as manganese and nickel to give the steel specific properties.

History

Historians believe that the Egyptians were the first people to work with small amounts of iron, some five or six thousand years ago. The metal they used was apparently extracted from meteorites. Evidence of what is believed to be the first example of iron mining and smelting points to the ancient Hittite culture in what is now Turkey. Because iron was a far superior material for the manufacture of weapons and tools than any other known metal, its production was a closely guarded secret. However, the basic technique was simple, and the use of iron gradually spread. As useful as it was compared to other materials, iron had disadvantages. The quality of the tools made from it was highly variable, depending on the region from which the iron ore was taken and the method used to extract the iron. The chemical nature of the changes taking place during the extraction were not understood; in particular, the importance of carbon to the metal's hardness. Practices varied widely in different parts of the world. There is evidence, for example, that the Chinese were able to melt and cast iron implements very early, and that the Japanese produced amazing results with steel in small amounts, as evidenced by heirloom swords dating back centuries. Similar breakthroughs were made in the Middle East and India, but the processes never emerged into the rest of the world. For centuries the Europeans lacked methods for heating iron to the melting point at all. To produce iron, they slowly burned iron ore with wood in a clay-lined oven. The iron separated from the surrounding rock but never quite melted. Instead, it formed a crusty slag which was removed by hammering. This repeated heating and hammering process mixed oxygen with the iron oxide to produce iron, and removed the carbon from the metal. The result was nearly pure iron, easily shaped with hammers and tongs but too soft to take and keep a good edge. Because the metal was shaped, or wrought, by hammering, it came to be called wrought iron.

Tools and weapons brought back to Europe from the East were made of an iron that had been melted and cast into shape. Retaining more carbon, cast iron is harder than wrought iron and will hold a cutting edge. However, it is also more brittle than wrought iron. The European iron workers knew the Easterners had better iron, but not the processes involved in fashioning stronger iron products. Entire nations launched efforts to discover the process.

The first known European breakthrough in the production of cast iron, which led quickly to the first practical steel, did not come until 1740. In that year, Benjamin Huntsman took out a patent for the melting of material for the production of steel springs to be used in clockmaking. Over the next 20 years or so, the procedure became more widely adopted. Huntsman used a blast furnace to melt wrought iron in a clay crucible. He then added carefully measured amounts of pure charcoal to the melted metal. The resulting alloy was both strong and flexible when cast into springs. Since Huntsman was originally interested only in making better clocks, his crucible steel led directly to the development of nautical chronometers, which, in turn, made global navigation possible by allowing mariners to precisely determine their east/west position. The fact that he had also invented modern metallurgy was a side-effect which he apparently failed to notice.

Raw Materials

The raw materials used to produce pig iron in a blast furnace are iron ore, coke, sinter, and limestone. Iron ores are mainly iron oxides and include magnetite, hematite, limonite, and many other rocks. The iron content of these ores ranges from 70% down to 20% or less. Coke is a substance made by heating coal until it becomes almost pure carbon. Sinter is made of lesser grade, finely divided iron ore which, is roasted with coke and lime to remove a large amount of the impurities in the ore. Limestone occurs naturally and is a source of calcium carbonate.

Other metals are sometimes mixed with iron in the production of various forms of steel, such as chromium, nickel, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten.

The Ore Extraction and Refining Process

Before iron ore can be used in a blast furnace, it must be extracted from the ground and partially refined to remove most of the impurities.

Extraction

  • Much of the world's iron ore is extracted through open pit mining in which the surface of the ground is removed by heavy machines, often over a very large area, to expose the ore beneath. In cases where it is not economical to remove the surface, shafts are dug into the earth, with side tunnels to follow the layer of ore.

Refining

  • The mined ore is crushed and sorted. The best grades of ore contain over 60% iron. Lesser grades are treated, or refined, to remove various contaminants before the ore is shipped to the blast furnace. Collectively, these refining methods are called beneficiation and include further crushing, washing with water to float sand and clay away, magnetic separation, pelletizing, and sintering. As more of the world's known supply of high iron content ore is depleted, these refining techniques have become increasingly important.
  • The refined ore is then loaded on trains or ships and transported to the blast furnace site.

The Manufacturing
Process

Charging the blast furnace

  • After processing, the ore is blended with other ore and goes to the blast furnace. A blast furnace is a tower-shaped structure, made of steel, and lined with refractory, or heat-resistant bricks. The mixture of raw material, or charge, enters at the top of the blast furnace. At the bottom of the furnace, very hot air is blown, or blasted, in through nozzles called tuye'res. The coke burns in the presence of the hot air. The oxygen in the air reacts with the carbon in the coke to form carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide then reacts with the iron ore to form carbon dioxide and pure iron.

Separating the iron from the slag

  • The melted iron sinks to the bottom of the furnace. The limestone combines with the rock and other impurities in the ore to form a slag which is lighter than the iron and floats on top. As the volume of the charge is reduced, more is continually added at the top of the furnace. The iron and slag are drawn off separately from the bottom of the furnace. The melted iron might go to a further alloying process, or might be cast into ingots called pigs. The slag is carried away for disposal.

Treating the gases

  • The hot gases produced in the chemical reactions are drawn off at the top and routed to a gas cleaning plant where they are cleaned, or scrubbed, and sent back into the furnace; the remaining carbon monoxide, in particular, is useful to the chemical reactions going on within the furnace.

    A blast furnace normally runs day and night for several years. Eventually the brick lining begins to crumble, and the furnace is then shut down for maintenance.

Quality Control

The blast furnace operation is highly instrumented and is monitored continuously. Times and temperatures are checked and recorded. The chemical content of the iron ores received from the various mines are checked, and the ore is blended with other iron ore to achieve the desired charge. Samples are taken from each pour and checked for chemical content and mechanical properties such as strength and hardness.

Byproducts/Waste

There are a great many possible environmental effects from the iron industry. The first and most obvious is the process of open pit mining. Huge tracts of land are stripped to bare rock. Today, depleted mining sites are commonly used as landfills, then covered over and landscaped. Some of these landfills themselves become environmental problems, since in the recent past, some were used for the disposal of highly toxic substances which leached into soil and water.

The process of extracting iron from ore produces great quantities of poisonous and corrosive gases. In practice, these gases are scrubbed and recycled. Inevitably, however, some small amounts of toxic gases escape to the atmosphere.

A byproduct of iron purification is slag, which is produced in huge amounts. This material is largely inert, but must still be disposed of in landfills.

Ironmaking uses up huge amounts of coal. The coal is not used directly, but is first reduced to coke which consists of almost pure carbon. The many chemical byproducts of coking are almost all toxic, but they are also commercially useful. These products include ammonia, which is used in a vast number of products; phenol, which is used to make plastics, cutting oils, and antiseptics; cresols, which go into herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and photographic chemicals; and toluene, which is an ingredient in many complex chemical products such as solvents and explosives.

Scrap iron and steel—in the form of old cars, appliances and even entire steel-girdered buildings—are also an environmental concern. Most of this material is recycled, however, since steel scrap is an essential resource in steelmaking. Scrap which isn't recycled eventually turns into iron oxide, or rust, and returns to the ground.

The Future

On the surface, the future of iron production—especially in the United States—appears troubled. Reserves of high-quality ore have become considerably depleted in areas where it can be economically extracted. Many long-time steel mills have closed.

However, these appearances are deceiving. New ore-enrichment techniques have made the use of lower-grade ore much more attractive, and there is a vast supply of that ore. Many steel plants have closed in recent decades, but this is largely because fewer are needed. The efficiency of blast furnaces alone has improved remarkably. At the beginning of this century, the largest blast furnace in the United States produced 644 tons of pig iron a day. It is believed that soon the possible production of a single furnace will reach 4,000 tons per day. Since many of these more modern plants have been built overseas, it has actually become more economical in some cases to ship steel across the ocean than to produce it in older U.S. plants.

Where To Learn More

Books

Lambert, Mark. Spotlight on Iron and Steel. Rourke Enterprises, 1988.

Hartley, Edward N. Iron and Steel Works of the World. International Publication, 1987.

Lewis, W. David. Iron and Steel in America. Hagley Museum, 1986.

Walker, R. D. Modern Ironmaking Methods. Gower Publication, 1986.

[Article by: Joel Simon]


A chemical element, Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.847. Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the crust of the Earth (5%). It is a malleable, tough, silver-gray, magnetic metal. It melts at 1540°C, boils at 2800°C, and has a density of 7.86 g/cm3. The four stable, naturally occurring isotopes have masses of 54, 56, 57, and 58. The two main ores are hematite, Fe2O3, and limonite, Fe2O3 · 3H2O. Pyrites, FeS2, and chromite, Fe(CrO2)2, are mined as ores for sulfur and chromium, respectively. Iron is found in many other minerals, and it occurs in groundwaters and in the red hemoglobin of blood. See also Periodic table.

The greatest use of iron is for structural steels; cast iron and wrought iron are made in quantity, also. Magnets, dyes (inks, blueprint paper, rouge pigments), and abrasives (rouge) are among the other uses of iron and iron compounds.

There are several allotropic forms of iron. Ferrite or α-iron is stable up to 760°C (1400°F). The change of β-iron involves primarily a loss of magnetic permeability because the lattice structure (body-centered cubic) is unchanged. The allotrope called γ-iron has the cubic close-packed arrangements of atoms and is stable from 910 to 1400°C (1670 to 2600°F). Little is known about δ-iron except that it is stable above 1400°C (2600°F) and has a lattice similar to that of α-iron.

The metal is a good reducing agent and, depending on conditions, can be oxidized to the 2+, 3+, or 6+ state. In most iron compounds, the ferrous ion, iron(II), or ferric ion, iron(III), is present as a distinct unit. Ferrous compounds are usually light yellow to dark green-brown in color; the hydrated ion, Fe(H2O)62+, which is found in many compounds and in solution, is light green. This ion has little tendency to form coordination complexes except with strong reagents such as cyanide ion, polyamines, and porphyrins. The ferric ion, because of its high charge (3+) and its small size, has a strong tendency to hold anions. The hydrated ion, Fe(H2O)63+, which is found in solution, combines with OH, F, Cl, CN, SCN, N3, C2O42−, and other anions to form coordination complexes. See also Coordination chemistry.

An interesting aspect of iron chemistry is the array of compounds with bonds to carbon. Cementite, Fe3C, is a component of steel. The cyanide complexes of both ferrous and ferric iron are very stable and are not strongly magnetic in contradistinction to most iron coordination complexes. The cyanide complexes form colored salts. See also Transition elements.


An essential mineral. The average adult contains 4-5 g of iron, of which 60-70% is present in the blood as haem in the circulating haemoglobin, and the remainder present in myoglobin in muscles, a variety of enzymes, and tissue stores. Iron is stored in the liver as ferritin, in other tissues as haemosiderin, and as the blood transport protein transferrin.

Iron balance: losses in faeces 0.3-0.5 mg per day, in sweat and skin cells 0.5 mg, traces in hair and urine, total loss 0.5-1.5 mg per day. Blood loss leads to a considerable loss of iron. The average diet contains 10-15 mg, of which 0.5-1.5 mg is absorbed. The haem iron of meat and fish is considerably better absorbed than the inorganic iron of vegetable foods. Reference intakes are 8.7 mg for adult men and 14.8 mg for women; women who have heavy menstrual blood losses may not be able to obtain enough from food, and supplements are necessary.

Absorption of iron is aided by vitamin C taken at the same time as iron-containing foods, and reduced by calcium, phosphate and phytic acid. Iron content of foods per 100 g: liver 6-14 mg, cereals up to 9 mg, nuts 1-5 mg, eggs 2-3 mg, meat 2-4 mg. Iron is added to flour so that it contains not less than 1.65 mg per 100 g. Fortified cereals provide 35% of the iron of British diets. Prolonged deficiency gives rise to anaemia.

Iron is essential to good health. Most iron in the body is contained in haemoglobin and myoglobin, the red pigments that carry oxygen. It also occurs as part of enzymes involved in energy production. A deficiency of iron results in anaemia, a lowering of haemoglobin concentration in the blood. The muscles and tissues are starved of vital oxygen, we feel tired and lethargic, and less inclined to exercise. Other more specific problems may include a sore tongue, cracks at the corner of the mouth, and nails that lack their usual pink flare. Heavy endurance training and bleeding (including menstrual bleeding) can increase the risk of iron deficiency and the need for iron therapy (increased iron intake by dietary adjustment and supplementation). Ten to fifteen percent of women between the ages of 13 and 45 lose more iron in menstrual bleeding than they acquire throughout the month from foods. Therefore, they probably require iron supplements to prevent iron deficiency.

The best sources of iron are meats, legumes, and watercress. Watercress and some other vegetables may have higher concentrations of iron than some meats, but iron from meat is mainly haem iron, which is easier to absorb than non-haem iron. Meat also contains a factor (not yet identified, but named MFP factor) that increases by four times the absorption of non-haem iron from other foods eaten with the meat. Cooking with traditional cast iron pans or a steel wok significantly increases the iron content of food as the surface releases fine particles, but little (if any) of this iron is absorbed. Vitamin C improves iron absorption, while tannic acid in teas, and phytic acid in many vegetables, interfere with it. (This is why you are advised not to drink large volumes of strong tea with a meal.) Large doses of other minerals (particularly calcium, copper, and zinc) in supplements may also reduce absorption. The recommended daily intake varies, but is about 8-10 mg for men and 15 mg for women of child-bearing age, increasing in physically active people.

Too much iron is toxic. It can damage the liver, heart, and pancreas, and irritate the stomach and gut, causing constipation or diarrhoea. If you take iron supplements, therefore, you should be careful not to overload your body.

noun

    Something that physically confines the legs or arms. bond, chain (used in plural), fetter, handcuff (often used in plural), hobble, manacle, restraint, shackle. Archaic gyve. See free/unfree.

adjective

  1. Full of vigor: able-bodied, lusty, red-blooded, robust, strapping, sturdy, vigorous, vital. See strong/weak.
  2. Firmly, often unreasonably immovable in purpose or will: adamant, adamantine, brassbound, die-hard, grim, implacable, incompliant, inexorable, inflexible, intransigent, obdurate, relentless, remorseless, rigid, stubborn, unbendable, unbending, uncompliant, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding. Idioms: stubborn as amuleox. See resist/yield.

verb

    To smooth by applying heat and pressure: mangle2, press. See smooth/rough.


adj

Definition: hard, tough; inflexible
Antonyms: flexible, soft, weak

Hardware, especially older and larger hardware of mainframe class with big metal cabinets housing relatively low-density electronics (but the term is also used of modern supercomputers). Often in the phrase big iron. Oppose silicon. See also dinosaur.



A metallic element essential to life: most importantly, it is a constituent of haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment of red blood cells. The main dietary sources of iron are meat and liver. Iron deficiency, which results in iron-deficiency anaemia, can be caused by blood loss (for example due to heavy menstrual periods or a bleeding peptic ulcer or occurring after childbirth), pregnancy, low dietary intake, or illnesses in which absorption of iron from the gut is affected. It can also occur in premature babies, babies born by Caesarean section, and in patients after surgical removal of the stomach.

Iron supplements are used for the treatment and prevention of iron-deficiency anaemia. They contain soluble iron in the form of iron salts (see ferrous sulphate; ferrous fumarate; ferrous gluconate; polysaccharide–iron complex; sodium feredetate). Iron salts are sometimes combined with folic acid; this combination is used mainly during pregnancy to prevent deficiencies of iron and folic acid. Preparations for use during pregnancy often contain other supplemental vitamins and minerals. Some preparations include vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to help absorption. Iron is best absorbed on an empty stomach, but this can result in gastrointestinal upsets. These can be largely avoided by using modified-release preparations (although iron from these is sometimes poorly absorbed), by gradually increasing the dose, or by taking the supplements after meals. Iron supplements are usually taken orally – as tablets, modified-release capsules, or syrup; they may occasionally need to be given by injection (see ferric carboxymaltose; ferric hydroxide sucrose; iron dextran). Most iron supplements are available without a prescription.

Side effects:
include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation (which may cause problems in the elderly). Iron salts colour the stools black.

Precautions:
iron supplements should be used with caution by people with gastrointestinal obstruction (since they may worsen constipation) or inflammatory bowel disease (because the iron may not be absorbed).

Interactions with other drugs (oral iron):

Antacids reduce the absorption of iron.
Antibiotics the absorption of both tetracyclines and iron is reduced; iron reduces the absorption of quinolones.
Antiparkinsonian drugs the absorption of entacapone and levodopa is reduced by iron.
Dimercaprol should not be taken with iron.
Penicillamine its absorption is reduced by iron.
Vitamin C: enhances the absorption of iron.
Zinc salts: the absorption of both zinc and iron salts is reduced.

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Iron is a vital component of heme, the component of hemoglobin that transports oxygen in the blood. Iron deficiency is the world's most common cause of anemia (blood with low hemoglobin and red blood cell components). While some plants have modest amounts of iron (e.g., spinach), meat (red or white) has many times more iron than plants. Meat iron is also absorbed much more efficiently than plant iron. In addition to oxygen transport, iron and heme are key to normal brain development. Iron deficiency during the first six months of life can irreversibly impair cognitive development.

(SEE ALSO: Hematocrit; Hemoglobin)

Bibliography

Bridges, K. R. (2000). "Iron Deficiency." In Coun's Current Therapy, ed. R. E. Rakel. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

— KENNETH R. BRIDGES




[ܒīǝrn]

ˈīǝrn n. 1. (irons) fetters or handcuffs.

2. informal a handgun.

in irons

1. having the feet or hands fettered.

2. (of a sailing vessel) stalled head to wind and unable to come about or tack either way.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

One of the fortified cities of Naphtali (Josh 19:38). The name is preserved in the village of Yarun in Upper Galilee, today inside Lebanon. It is situated on a hill 2,400 feet (700 m) above sea level, 3 miles (5 km) south of Bint Jebeil.

Concordance
Josh 19:38


The power of iron to repel evil is very well attested in English folklore, and throughout Europe—all sorts of domestic objects, and even lumps of scrap iron, were placed in homes, stables, and cowsheds as defences against withccraft and harmful fairies, or used in counterspells. Sharp ones were even more effective, and Herrick mentions ‘hooks and shears’ in stables, and knives in babies’ cradles (Hesperides (1648), nos. 890, 892). Redhot iron was a potent counterspell when milk was bewitched.

Touching iron, or merely saying ‘Touch iron!’ or ‘Cold iron!’, cancels the bad luck of breaking a taboo or seeing something ill-omened; it is not as widespread as touching wood, but some groups, such as fishermen, practise it keenly.

A picturesque 19th-century theory was that iron was first reputed magical in prehistoric times, because men using bronze or stone weapons feared those using iron swords; obviously, this is flimsy guesswork, there being no possible evidence for or against the idea.

A ductile metallic element from which pig iron and steel are made; used in its relatively crude form for making tools, castings, and so on. Also see bar iron, cast iron, malleable iron, ornamental iron, wrought iron.



[Ma]

A hard grey-coloured metal (Fe), widely available in the form of ores such as laterites, haematites, siderites, and pyrites, as well as in the form of bog iron created through precipitation. The earliest ironworking in Eurasia appears to have been amongst the Hittites in the mid 2nd millennium bc, knowledge of the technology only becoming more widely available after the collapse of the Hittite empire at the end of 2nd millennium bc. Although iron was probably the most widely used metal ever from the early first millennium bc onwards, the fact that it is prone to rapid corrosion in most buried environments means that it is archaeologically rather under-represented.

Meteoric iron, containing a high percentage of nickel, is found naturally and, since its heavenly origin was widely recognized, it was highly prized for its reputed magical properties. Such iron was used in making the sacred crook of Osiris held by the pharaohs of Egypt.

A mineral element essential for health. It is a component of haemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes, and other chemicals involved in vital metabolic activities. Dietary sources of iron include red meat, liver, dried fruit, nuts, molasses, and legumes. The best sources contain haem iron (i.e. iron contained within haemoglobin) because it is easily absorbed from the intestine. Vitamin C improves iron absorption, but tannic acid (e.g. in tea) and phytates (e.g. in wholemeal bread) interfere with it. Excessively high iron intakes can damage the liver, heart, and pancreas. Iron deficiency may lead to anaemia, decreased oxygen transport, and feelings of lassitude. Athletes training very strenuously may require higher than normal iron intakes to avoid iron deficiency, but supplementation of iron in those who are not deficient seems to have no benefit. Taking excessive amounts of iron supplements may be dangerous. It can result in serum ferritin levels being so high that not all the iron is maintained within cells or bound to proteins. If so, the excess iron can deposit in various tissues leading to organ dysfunction.


    Description
    Precautions
    Interactions
    Complications
    Parental concerns
    Resources

What is Iron?

Iron (Fe) is a metal essential to almost all bacteria, plants, and animals. In humans, iron is a compnent of the red pigment hemoglobin that gives red blood cells their color and affects the transport of oxygen throughout the body, conversion of nutrients into energy, production of new deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, genetic material), and regulation of cell growth and cell differentiation. Without iron, life on Earth would not exist. Humans must acquire all the iron they need from diet.

What is the Purpose of Iron?

Most iron in the body is used to transport oxygen. Oxygen is carried in red blood cells through the circulatory system to all cells in the body. Hemoglobin is the protein within red blood cells that makes this possible, and iron is at the center of the hemoglobin molecule. An average-size adult man has about 4 grams of iron in his body, and an adult woman has about 3.5 grams. Approximately two-thirds of this iron is in hemoglobin. Myoglobin, a protein in muscle, also contains iron. Myoglobin provides short-term storage for oxygen. When muscles do work, this oxygen is released to meet the increased metabolic needs of muscle cells.

Iron is found in every cell in the body, including brain cells. It is needed to synthesize adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP), the compound that supplies most of the energy to drive cellular metabolism. Iron is also used in enzyme reactions that create new DNA, and in this way it affects cell division and differentiation. Iron is also essential to other enzyme reactions that break down potentially harmful molecules formed when immune system cells attack bacteria.

Iron

AgeRecommended dietary allowance (mg)Tolerable upper intake level (mg)
Children 0–6 mos0.27Not established
Children 7–12 mos.#11Not established
Children 1–3 yrs740
Children 4–8 yrs1040
Children 9–13 yrs940
Boys 14–18 yrs1145
Girls 14–18 yrs1545
Men 19–50 yrs845
Women 19–50 yrs1845
Adults 51 ≥ yrs845
Pregnant women2745
Breastfeeding women 18 ≤ yrs1045
Breastfeeding women 19≥yrs945
Food Heme Iron (mg)
Chicken liver, cooked, 3 oz 12.8
Oysters, 6 med 5.04
Beef, cooked, 3 oz 3.2
Turkey, light meat, cooked, 3 oz 2.3
Shrimp, cooked, 8 large 1.36
Tuna, light, canned, 3 oz 1.3
Chicken, dark meat, cooked, 3 oz 1.13
Halibut, cooked, 3 oz 0.9
Crab, cooked, 3 oz 0.8
Pork loin, cooked, 3 oz 0.8
Food Nonheme Iron (mg)
Cereal, 100% iron fortified, 1 cup 18
Soybeans, boiled, 1 cup 8.8
Tofu, firm, ½ cup 6.22
Beans, kidney, cooked, 1 cup 5.2
Beans, lima, cooked, 1 cup 4.5
Beans, pinto, cooked, 1 cup 3.6
Blackstrap molasses, 1 tbsp 3.5
Potato, med. with skin 2.75
Cashew nuts, 1 oz 1.70
Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice 0.9
Raisins, small box, 1.5 oz 0.89
mg = milligram  
iron, metallic chemical element; symbol Fe [Lat. ferrum]; at. no. 26; at. wt. 55.845; m.p. about 1,535°C; b.p. about 2,750°C; sp. gr. 7.87 at 20°C; valence +2, +3, +4, or +6. Iron is biologically significant. Because iron is a component of hemoglobin, a red oxygen-carrying pigment of the red blood cells of vertebrates, iron compounds are important in nutrition; one cause of anemia is iron deficiency. For the history of the use of iron, see Iron Age.

Properties

Iron is a lustrous, ductile, malleable, silver-gray metal found in Group 8 of the periodic table. It is known to exist in four distinct crystalline forms (see allotropy). The most common is the α-form, which is stable below about 770°C, and has a body-centered cubic crystalline structure; it is often called ferrite. Iron is attracted by a magnet and is itself easily magnetized (see magnetism). It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It displaces hydrogen from hydrochloric or dilute sulfuric acid, but becomes passive (loses its normal chemical activity) when treated with cold nitric acid.

Compounds

Iron forms such compounds as oxides, hydroxides, halides, acetates, carbonates, sulfides, nitrates, sulfates, and a number of complex ions. It is chemically active and forms two major series of chemical compounds, the bivalent iron (II), or ferrous, compounds and the trivalent iron (III), or ferric, compounds. Ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, FeSO4·7H2O, sometimes called green vitriol, is a compound formed by the reaction of dilute sulfuric acid (formerly called oil of vitriol) with metallic iron; it is used in the manufacture of ink, in dyeing, and as a disinfectant. Ferric chloride hexahydrate, FeCl3·6H2O, is a yellow-brown crystalline compound used as a mordant in dyeing and as an etching compound. Ferric oxide, Fe2O3, is a reddish-brown powder used as a paint pigment and in abrasive rouges. Prussian blue, KFe2(CN)6, is a pigment containing the ferrocyanide complex ion. Iron rusts readily in moist air, forming a complex mixture of compounds that is mostly a ferrous-ferric oxide with the composition Fe3O4.

Natural Occurrence

Iron is an abundant element in the universe; it is found in many stars, including the sun. Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the earth's crust, of which it constitutes about 5% by weight, and is believed to be the major component of the earth's core. Iron is found distributed in the soil in low concentrations and is found dissolved in groundwaters and the ocean to a limited extent. It is rarely found uncombined in nature except in meteorites, but iron ores and minerals are abundant and widely distributed.

The principal ores of iron are hematite (ferric oxide, Fe2O3) and limonite (ferric oxide trihydrate, Fe2O3·3H2O). Other ores include siderite (ferrous carbonate, FeCO3), taconite (an iron silicate), and magnetite (ferrous-ferric oxide, Fe3O4), which often occurs as a white sand. Iron pyrite (iron disulfide, FeS2) is a crystalline gold-colored mineral known as fool's gold. Chromite is a chromium ore that contains iron. Lodestone is a form of magnetite that exhibits natural magnetic properties.

Production and Refining

Iron is produced in the United States chiefly from oxide ores. For many years rich hematite ores were produced by open-pit mining in the Mesabi Range near Lake Superior. However, these ores have been largely depleted, and iron is now produced from low-grade ores that are treated to improve their quality; this process is called beneficiation. Iron ores are refined in the blast furnace. The product of the blast furnace is called pig iron and contains about 4% carbon and small amounts of manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur. About 95% of this iron is processed further to make steel, often by the open-hearth process or the Bessemer process, but more recently in the United States and other countries by the basic oxygen process or by an electric arc furnace. The balance is cast in sand molds into blocks called pigs. It is further processed in iron foundries (see casting).

Cast Iron

Cast iron is made when pig iron is remelted in small cupola furnaces (similar to the blast furnace in design and operation) and poured into molds to make castings. It usually contains 2% to 6% carbon. Scrap iron or steel is often added to vary the composition. Cast iron is used extensively to make machine parts, engine cylinder blocks, stoves, pipes, steam radiators, and many other products. Gray cast iron, or gray iron, is produced when the iron in the mold is cooled slowly. Part of the carbon separates out in plates in the form of graphite but remains physically mixed in the iron. Gray iron is brittle but soft and easily machined. White cast iron, or white iron, which is harder and more brittle, is made by cooling the molten iron rapidly. The carbon remains distributed throughout the iron as cementite (iron carbide, Fe3C). A malleable cast iron can be made by annealing white iron castings in a special furnace. Some of the carbon separates from the cementite; it is much more finely divided than in gray iron. A ductile iron may be prepared by adding magnesium to the molten pig iron; when the iron is cast the carbon forms tiny spherical nodules around the magnesium. Ductile iron is strong, shock resistant, and easily machined.

Wrought Iron

Wrought iron is commercially purified iron. In the Aston process, pig iron is refined in a Bessemer converter and then poured into molten iron silicate slag. The resulting semisolid mass is passed between rollers that squeeze out most of the slag. The wrought iron has a fibrous structure with threads of slag running through it; it is tough, malleable, ductile, corrosion resistant, and melts only at high temperatures. It is used to make rivets, bolts, pipes, chains, and anchors, and is also used for ornamental ironwork.

Bibliography

See W. H. Dennis, Metallurgy of the Ferrous Metals (1963) and Foundations of Iron and Steel Metallurgy (1967).


Iron is the second most abundant mineral on earth and is an essential nutrient for nearly all organisms. Iron is necessary for many varied functions in mammals, including the synthesis of DNA, the generation of energy from macronutrients by aerobic respiration, and the transport and metabolism of oxygen. Iron is highly reactive and is potentially toxic at high levels of intake; therefore, its utilization and storage present a major challenge for biological systems. Cellular iron exists primarily in its reduced ferrous (Fe+2) and oxidized ferric (Fe+3) states, and conversion of the mineral between these states serves to catalyze many reactions. One example is Fenton's reaction, whereby hydrogen peroxide is converted to highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (.OH).

Both ferric iron and the hydroxyl radicals generated by free iron in this reaction directly damage tissues by randomly inducing DNA strand breaks and by oxidizing and thereby damaging cellular proteins, lipids, metabolic cofactors, and nucleic acids. Therefore, it is not surprising that most iron in the cell is bound or sequestered by proteins, so that the concentration of free iron is very low (usually less than 1 × 10–18 moles per liter). Many ironbinding proteins are enzymes that harness and bring specificity to the reactive properties of iron, whereas other proteins store or transport iron (Table 1). Protein-bound iron can accept electrons during enzyme-catalyzed reactions, enable proteins to recognize and bind substrates, and assist in the formation of defined protein structures.

Dietary Forms and Factors Affecting Iron Requirements

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iron is 8 milligrams per day for men and postmenopausal women and 18 milligrams per day for premenopausal women. Adult males contain about 4 grams of total body iron (50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight), whereas menstruating women contain 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Full-term infants are born with sufficient iron stores to meet metabolic demands for the first 4 months of life. Breast milk contains 0.2 mg iron/liter; breast-feeding infants receive about 0.27 milligrams per day.

Table 1

Representative proteins that bind iron
ProteinFunction
Transport and Storage Proteins
DMT1 Intestinal iron uptake
FP1 Intestinal iron export
Ferritin Iron storage
Enzymes
Ribonucleotide reductase Synthesis of DNA precursors
Cysteine dioxygenase Amino acid metabolism
Oxygen carriers
Hemoglobin  
Myoglobin  

There are two natural dietary forms of iron: (1) inorganic salts of ferric iron, and (2) iron bound to a cyclic carbon ring called heme in the form of hemoglobin and myoglobin in meat products. Inorganic iron is readily liberated from food in the acidic lumen of the stomach but is not absorbed well in the small intestine because of its poor solubility at physiological pH and because it is sequestered by many dietary components that hinder absorption, including phytates, polyphenols, calcium, and fiber. Therefore, only a small percentage of injected iron salts are actually absorbed into the body, thereby indicating that iron salts have a low bioavailability, or ability to be effectively absorbed. However, other low-molecular-weight dietary components bind inorganic iron and facilitate its absorption. These compounds, which include vitamin C and lactic acids, are commonly found in citrus and deciduous fruits and are known as metal chelators. In addition, an unidentified "meat factor" present in animal tissue also enhances the absorption of iron salts. Finally, heme iron has a much greater bioavailability than iron salts because fewer factors interfere with its absorption and it displays greater solubility in water. Hence, heme iron can account for up to 35 percent of absorbed iron in diets when accounting for only 10 percent of total dietary iron intake. In the United States, artificially fortified foods in the form of fortified grain products are a major source of dietary iron and account for nearly 50 percent of all iron consumed.

Iron absorption and transport from the intestinal lumen to the circulatory system is tightly regulated and complex. Enterocyte cells, which are responsible for the uptake and transport of nutrients from the intestinal mucosa, mediate the uptake and transport of iron to the plasma. These cells, once mature, function for only 48 to 72 hours before they are shed and excreted. The capacity of the mature enterocyte to transport inorganic iron is determined very early in its development and is inversely proportional to plasma iron status. The enterocyte iron transport protein, DMT1 (divalent metal transporter), facilitates iron uptake from the intestinal lumen into the enterocyte. DMT1 concentrations at the cell surface are increased when whole-body iron stores are depleted, which increases the rate of cellular iron accumulation into the enterocyte once it is matured. The induction of DMT1 protein synthesis results from increased DMT1 messenger RNA levels. During iron deficiency, the iron regulatory protein (IRP) binds to the 3' untranslated region of the DMT1 messenger RNA and increases its stability. Heme iron is transported into the enterocyte from the intestinal lumen by an unidentified heme iron receptor, and cellular enzymes in the enterocyte release iron from the heme ring. Iron is exported from the basolateral surface of the enterocyte to plasma by the iron transport protein ferroportin1 (Fp1). Fp1 is believed to assist in the direct transfer of iron to a soluble plasma iron transport protein called transferrin. Transferrin facilitates the delivery of two molecules of iron among the sites of absorption and storage and to all tissues and organs. The transferrin-iron complex enters the cell by binding to a specific protein, the transferrin receptor, which is present on the plasma membrane of all cells. Once transferrin binds to its receptor, the receptor-transferrin complex is engulfed by the cell, forming an internal vesicle called an endosome. Once in the cell, iron is released from transferrin by the acidification of the endosome, and the transferrin receptor is recycled to the cell surface where it can bind additional transferrin molecules.

Iron Physiology

Intestinal absorption is the primary mechanism that regulates whole body iron concentrations. There are no specific mechanisms to remove excess iron from mammals. Inorganic iron excretion is limited because of its low solubility in aqueous environments and therefore daily iron loss is minimal in the absence of blood loss. Fecal (from shed enterocytes and biliary heme products), urogenital, and integumental losses account for 4 mg/day of iron loss. Menstruation, blood donation, and pregnancy also can cause significant iron loss. Variations in iron status and requirements are influenced by individual genetic makeup as well as by differences in menstrual losses. The latter averages 0.6 mg/day but can greatly exceed that value in the individual, resulting in a need to absorb an additional 3 to 4 mg/day to maintain adequate iron status. An additional 4 to 5 mg/day of iron must be absorbed during pregnancy. States of rapid growth during childhood through adolescence also increase iron requirements.

Most absorbed iron is used by the bone marrow to make hemoglobin, an abundant protein that binds and distributes oxygen throughout the body. The remaining iron is distributed to other tissues where it is incorporated into iron-requiring proteins or stored. Nearly 70 percent of total body iron is present in red blood cells bound to hemoglobin. Another 15 percent is bound to metabolic enzymes and numerous other proteins, including muscle myoglobin, which transports oxygen to the mitochondria, and cytochromes, which act as electron carriers during respiration. The remaining iron is stored in the liver, spleen, and macrophages and can be distributed to other cells during states of dietary iron deficiency. The primary iron storage protein is ferritin, which is a hollow sphere comprised of 24 protein subunits. One ferritin molecule can store about 3,000 ferric iron molecules that can be mobilized readily when required. There are two types of ferritin subunits, heavy-chain and light-chain ferritin. Heavy-chain ferritin sequesters Fe+2 and oxidizes it to Fe+3; light-chain ferritin aids in the formation of the mineral iron core within the protein. Tissue, gender, hormones, and iron status can influence the ratio of heavy-chain and light-chain subunits that comprise a ferritin molecule, but the physiological significance of this ratio is not well understood.

Consequences of Altered Iron Status

Iron deficiency is the most common of all micronutrient deficiencies in the world, and the anemia that results affects an estimated 2 billion people. Dietary iron deficiency results in reduced iron stores in the liver, bone marrow, and spleen, followed by diminished erythropoiesis, which is the production of red blood cells, and anemia, and ultimately results in decreased activity of iron-dependent enzymes. Iron uptake in the intestine is responsive to total body stores such that iron-deficient individuals display increased iron absorption as described above. Clinical manifestations of iron deficiency include impaired endurance exercise due to an inability to deliver oxygen to tissues, microcytic anemia, glossitis, and blue scerra. Maternal iron deficiency during pregnancy is associated with several adverse outcomes for the newborn infant, including premature delivery, low birth weight, permanent cognitive deficits, developmental delay, and a wide range of behavioral disturbances. The onset of anemia and depletion of tissue iron concentrations occur concurrently, whereas the other negative consequences of iron deficiency occur after hemoglobin concentrations fall.

The tolerable upper level intake for iron for adults is 45 mg/day; intakes that exceed this level result in gastrointestinal distress. Dietary overload can occur, although it is uncommon, except in individuals with primary hereditary hemochromatosis, an iron-storage disease, which can result in up to fifty-fold increases in storage iron deposits. Hemochromatosis most commonly results from a common genetic mutation or genetic polymorphism in the HFE gene that is prevalent in populations of European descent but can also result from mutations in other iron-related proteins including a transferrin receptor. The HFE protein is involved in intestinal regulation of iron accumulation, but its precise biochemical function is unknown. This genetic disorder, if untreated by regular phlebotomy, results in liver cirrhosis, cadiomyopathy, arthritis, and cancer.

Bibliography

Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary

Reference Intakes, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001. Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc.

Griffiths, William, and Timothy Cox. "Haemochromatosis:

Novel Gene Discovery and the Molecular Pathophysiology of Iron Metabolism." Human Molecular Genetics 9 (2000): 2377–2382.

—Patrick J. Stover

An ancient observation on the occult virtues of iron was made by Pliny the Elder (ca. 23-79 C.E.) in his Natural History (as translated in 1601 by Philemon Holland).

"As touching the use of Yron and steele in Physicke, it serveth otherwise than for to launce, cut and dismember withal; for take the knife or dagger, an make an ymaginerie circle two or three times round with the point thereof upon a young child or an elder bodie, and then goe round withall about the partie as often, it is a singular preservative against all poysons, sorceries, or enchantments. Also to take any yron naile out of the coffin or sepulchre wherein man or woman lieth buried, and to sticke the same fast to the lintle or side post of a dore, leading either to the house or bed-chamber where any dooth lie who is haunted with Spirits in the night, he or she shall be delivered and secured from such phanasticall illusions. Moreover, it is said, that if one be lightly pricked with the point of sword or dagger, which hath been the death of a man, it is an excellent remedy against the pains of sides or breast, which come with sudden prickes or stitches."

In certain parts of Scotland and Ireland, there was a belief in the potency of iron for warding off the attacks of fairies. An iron poker, laid across a cradle, would, it was believed, keep fairies away until the child was baptized. The Reverend John G. Campbell in his Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (1900) relates how, when children, he and another boy were believed to be protected from a fairy that had been seen at a certain spot because one boy possessed a knife and the other a nail.

Many other countries had folklore about iron as a religious taboo or a charm against witchcraft and the supernatural. Iron tools were prohibited in Greek and Hebrew temples in ancient times. In Korea the body of the king was never to be touched by iron. Roman priests were forbidden to shave with iron blades. In India and China evil spirits were warded off by iron.

Sources:

French, Roger. Science in the Early Roman Empire: Pliny the Elder, His Sources and His Influence. New York: Barnes & Nobel, 1986.

Pliny the Elder. Natural History. New York: Penguin, 1991.


Fe
Cubic -- hexoctahedral

Environment

In meteorites and rarely in basalt.

Crystal description

Practically unknown in crystals, and rare except in meteorites. Sometimes found in large masses in basalt or smaller disseminated grains, rarely in placers in nuggets (as josephinite, a nickel-iron alloy).

Physical properties

Steel gray. Luster metallic; hardness 4-5; specific gravity 7.3-7.8; fracture hackly; cleavage cubic, also has distinct partings parallel to the cube and dodecahedron. Magnetic.

Composition

Iron, usually with some nickel. In meteorites nickel may be abundant.

Tests

Magnetic, easily soluble in acids with rusty residue on evaporation.

Distinguishing characteristics

Native iron is so rare that its few sources are well known, one in Germany, and one on an island in the Arctic. Masses of iron from slag are often mistaken for meteorites. A suspected meteorite should be tested for nickel (see millerite, p. 117), after the presence of iron has been shown by a magnet or a compass. A polished surface is then acid-etched to bring out a crystal pattern, known as Widmanstaetten lines, for final confirmation.

Occurrence

Because of its easy oxidation (rust), native iron is naturally most uncommon. It has been found in disseminated grains in a basalt in Bühl, northwest of Kassel, Germany, and in masses of considerable size once thought to be meteorites at Disko I., Greenland. Iron-nickel alloy nuggets are found in gold placers in New Zealand, Oregon, and British Columbia. Native iron is found in meteorites, which range from pure metal to stone with small percentages of metal. The nickel content roughly determines the crystal texture and the pattern that is brought out by etching with dilute nitric acid.

Remarks

Tremendous numbers of meteorites fall, though most burn up in the sky. Few reach the earth, and fewer yet are found. Fewer in number, iron meteorites are more often recognized than the stones. There is usually a crust on a fresh meteorite from the dissipation of heat on the surface during its fall. In their passage through the air, meteorites are never actually melted; they never contain cavities, enclose pebbles, or make casts of objects they hit. They are most often confused with concretions of various sorts, with pyrite balls, and with corroded rocks; but none of these is ever magnetic.



Cosmic Lexicon:

Iron

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An element with atomic number 26; symbol: Fe. Iron is one of the most abundant elements in the rocky planets. It is the most abundant element in the metallic cores of the inner planets.


A nutrient needed for the manufacture of chlorophyll. Plants in alkaline soils may not be able to absorb iron, resulting in chlorosis of their leaves.

Word Tutor:

iron

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A strong, gray metal. Also: A household device with a flat metal base that is heated to smooth or press cloth. .

pronunciation When the iron is hot, strike. — John Heywood (1497?-1580), English playwright, from Proverbs. Part I. Chap. III. 1546

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sign description: The I-hand slides back and forth across the index finger.




Iron is associated with strength and willpower (an iron will), which may play into the meaning of a dream in which iron is explicitly a part.


iron (iron hoof)
rhymes with [offensive] poof gay man

Previous:irish, inky smudge, hot beef
Next:jack, jack in the box, jack scratches
noun
noun, mainly services'

1:
Money. (1785 —) .
C. Rougvie He was earning a bit of iron (1966). Cf. iron-man noun.

2:
pl. Eating utensils. (1905 —) .

3:
orig US An old motor vehicle. (1935 —) .
M. Reynolds Well, it would mean being able to maintain a decent hovercar rather than the ...four wheel iron he was currently driving (1967).

4:
A homosexual. (1936 —) .
E. Partridge Gorblimey, 'e's an iron, did'n yeh know? (1961).

5:
A jemmy used in housebreaking. (1941 —) .

6:
theatrical A metal safety curtain. (1951 —) .

[In sense 4, short for iron hoof, rhyming slang for 'poof'; in sense 6, short for iron curtain.]


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symbol: Fe; a metallic element of group 8 of the IUPAC periodic table; proton number 26; natural iron has a relative atomic mass of 55.847 and is a mixture of stable nuclides of nucleon numbers 54 (5.8 atom per cent), 56 (91.7 atom per cent), 57 (2.2 atom per cent), and 58 (0.3 atom per cent). About 12 artificial radioactive nuclides are known; of these, iron-59 is the one most widely used in biochemistry and molecular biology. Iron is a transition element and hence forms ionic salts and numerous complexes in the oxidation states +2, i.e. iron(ii) (ferrous iron), or +3, i.e. iron(iii) (ferric iron). Iron is one of the most important elements in biology; it is essential in substantial quantities to all cellular organisms from bacteria to mammals, particularly for the synthesis of hemoproteins such as cytochromes, hemoglobins and related proteins, myoglobin, catalase, and some peroxidases. Important iron-transport proteins include ferritin and transferrin; iron is taken up into mammalian cells, bound to transferrin, by the transferrin receptor. There is no physiological excretory mechanism for iron, but it is lost from females during menstruation.

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A chemical element, atomic number 26, atomic weight 55.847, symbol Fe. Iron is chiefly important to the animal body because it is the main constituent of hemoglobin, cytochrome, and other components of respiratory enzyme systems. A constant although small intake of iron in food is needed to replace erythrocytes that are destroyed in the body processes.

  • i.-59 — a radioisotope of iron having a half-life of 45 days; used in ferrokinetics tests to determine the rate at which iron is cleared from the plasma and incorporated in red cells. Symbol 59Fe.
  • i. binding — absorbed iron is rapidly and tightly bound to a specific transport protein, transferrin or siderophilin, from which it is discharged at iron receptor sites in the bone marrow.
  • i. dextran — an injectable form of iron used in the prevention of iron deficiency. See iron poisoning (below).
  • i. galactan — used as an injection vehicle for iron in young piglets.
  • i. nutritional deficiency — is most common in piglets raised on sows kept indoors under artificial conditions. Clinical signs are pallor, dyspnea, edema of the head and a secondary diarrhea.
  • organic i. poisoning — see iron poisoning (below).
  • i. overload — storage of excessive iron in body tissues such as occurs in human idiopathic hemochromatosis is not recorded in animals, but overload may occur as a result of excessive therapy.
  • i. poisoning — overdosing piglets with iron compounds by mouth causes diarrhea and death. Organic iron preparations, usually dextrans, injected in piglets can cause deaths acutely, within an hour or two of injection. At postmortem examination there is myonecrosis of skeletal muscle. Deaths have also occurred within a few minutes of intramuscular injection of organic iron preparations in horses. Sudden death due to massive liver damage also recorded in newborn foals dosed orally with ferrous fumarate with or without yeast in a paste. Asymmetry of the hindquarters in pigs is also recorded as a sequel of intramuscular injections of iron. See also asymmetric hind quarter syndrome. Bore water often contains significant levels of iron and when used for fish culture in dams may cause mortalities.
  • i. pool — a source of readily available iron for metabolic emergencies, probably located in the bone marrow.
  • i. storage disease — hemochromatosis.
  • i.-sulfur proteins — polypeptides that contain iron-sulfur centers capable of Fe2S2 or Fe4S4 stoichiometry and with standard reduction potential between NAD+ and ubiquinone. Critical components of many electron transport chains, e.g. in oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis.
  • total i.-binding capacity — the serum iron plus the unbound iron-binding capacity of the serum.
  • i. turnover — see iron turnover.
  • unbound i.-binding capacity — that portion of the plasma transferrin molecule that is not bound to Fe3+.
  • i.-yeast paste — highly hepatoxic in some newborn foals when fed as a dietary supplement.

n
Fe

A common metallic element essential for the synthesis of hemoglobin. Its atomic number is 26 and its atomic weight is 55.85. Normal blood levels of iron range between 60 and 190 micrograms.

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Fe

Ru
Appearance
lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge
A rough wedge of silvery metal

Spectral lines of iron
General properties
Name, symbol, number iron, Fe, 26
Pronunciation /ˈ.ərn/
Element category transition metal
Group, period, block 84, d
Standard atomic weight 55.845(2)
Electron configuration [Ar] 3d6 4s2
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 14, 2 (Image)
Physical properties
Phase solid
Density (near r.t.) 7.874 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p. 6.98 g·cm−3
Melting point 1811 K, 1538 °C, 2800 °F
Boiling point 3134 K, 2862 °C, 5182 °F
Heat of fusion 13.81 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization 340 kJ·mol−1
Molar heat capacity 25.10 J·mol−1·K−1
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T (K) 1728 1890 2091 2346 2679 3132
Atomic properties
Electronegativity 1.83 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more)
1st: 762.5 kJ·mol−1
2nd: 1561.9 kJ·mol−1
3rd: 2957 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius 126 pm
Covalent radius 132±3 (low spin), 152±6 (high spin) pm
Miscellanea
Crystal structure body-centered cubic
Magnetic ordering ferromagnetic
1043 K
Electrical resistivity (20 °C) 96.1 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity 80.4 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion (25 °C) 11.8 µm·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod) (r.t.) (electrolytic)
5120 m·s−1
Young's modulus 211 GPa
Shear modulus 82 GPa
Bulk modulus 170 GPa
Poisson ratio 0.29
Mohs hardness 4
Vickers hardness 608 MPa
Brinell hardness 490 MPa
CAS registry number 7439-89-6
Most stable isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of iron
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
54Fe 5.8% >3.1×1022y 2ε capture  ? 54Cr
55Fe syn 2.73 y ε capture 0.231 55Mn
56Fe 91.72% 56Fe is stable with 30 neutrons
57Fe 2.2% 57Fe is stable with 31 neutrons
58Fe 0.28% 58Fe is stable with 32 neutrons
59Fe syn 44.503 d β 1.565 59Co
60Fe syn 2.6×106 y β 3.978 60Co
· r

Iron (/ˈərn/ eye-ər-n) is a chemical element with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element (by mass) forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust. Iron's very common presence in rocky planets like Earth is due to its abundant production as a result of fusion in high-mass stars, where the production of nickel-56 (which decays to iron) is the last nuclear fusion reaction that is exothermic. This allows radioactive nickel to become the last element to be produced before collapse of a supernova leads to events that scatters this precursor radionuclide of iron into space.

Like other Group 8 elements, iron exists in a wide range of oxidation states, −2 to + 6, although +2 and +3 are the most common. 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. Unlike many other metals which form passivating oxide layers, iron oxides occupy more volume than iron metal, and thus iron oxides flake off and expose fresh surfaces for corrosion.

Iron metal has been used since ancient times, though lower-melting copper alloys were used first in history. Pure iron is soft (softer than aluminium), but is unobtainable by smelting. The material is significantly hardened and strengthened by impurities from the smelting process, such as carbon. 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. Further refinement with oxygen reduces the carbon content to the correct proportion to make steel. Steels and low carbon iron alloys with other metals (alloy steels) are by far the most common metals in industrial use, due to their great range of desirable properties.

Iron chemical compounds, which include ferrous and ferric compounds, have many uses. Iron oxide mixed with aluminium powder can be ignited to create a thermite reaction, used in welding and purifying ores. It forms binary compounds with the halogens and the chalcogens. Among its organometallic compounds, ferrocene was the first sandwich compound discovered.

Iron plays an important role in biology, forming complexes with molecular oxygen in hemoglobin and myoglobin; these two compounds are common oxygen transport proteins in vertebrates. Iron is also the metal used at the active site of many important redox enzymes dealing with cellular respiration and oxidation and reduction in plants and animals.

Contents

Characteristics

Mechanical properties

Characteristic values of tensile strength (TS) and Brinell hardness (BH) of different forms of iron.[1][2]
Material TS
(MPa)
BH
(Brinell)
Iron whiskers 11000
Ausformed (hardened) steel 2930 850–1200
Martensitic steel 2070 600
Bainitic steel 1380 400
Pearlitic steel 1200 350
Cold-worked iron 690 200
Small-grain iron 340 100
Carbon-containing iron 140 40
Pure, single-crystal iron 10 3

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.[2][3] 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,[1] and the purest industrially produced iron (99.99%) has a hardness of 20–30 Brinell.[4] 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.[5]

Phase diagram and allotropes

Iron represents an example of allotropy in a metal. There are at least four allotropic forms of iron, known as α, γ, δ, and ε; at very high pressures, some controversial experimental evidence exists for a phase β stable at very high pressures and temperatures.[6]

Low-pressure phase diagram of pure iron

As molten iron cools down it crystallizes at 1538 °C into its δ allotrope, which has a body-centered cubic (bcc) crystal structure. As it cools further its crystal structure changes to face-centered cubic (fcc) at 1394 °C, when it is known as γ-iron, or austenite. At 912 °C the crystal structure again becomes bcc as α-iron, or ferrite, is formed, and at 770 °C (the Curie point, Tc) iron becomes magnetic. As the iron passes through the Curie temperature there is no change in crystalline structure, but there is a change in "domain structure", where each domain contains iron atoms with a particular electronic spin. In unmagnetized iron, all the electronic spins of the atoms within one domain are in the same direction; the neighboring domains point in various directions and thus cancel out. In magnetized iron, the electronic spins of all the domains are aligned, so that the magnetic effects of neighboring domains reinforce each other. Although each domain contains billions of atoms, they are very small, about 10 micrometres across.[7] At pressures above approximately 10 GPa and temperatures of a few hundred kelvin or less, α-iron changes into a hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure, which is also known as ε-iron; the higher-temperature γ-phase also changes into ε-iron, but does so at higher pressure. The β-phase, if it exists, would appear at pressures of at least 50 GPa and temperatures of at least 1500 K; it has been thought to have an orthorhombic or a double hcp structure.[6]

Iron is of greatest importance when mixed with certain other metals and with carbon to form steels. There are many types of steels, all with different properties, and an understanding of the properties of the allotropes of iron is key to the manufacture of good quality steels.

α-iron, also known as ferrite, is the most stable form of iron at normal temperatures. It is a fairly soft metal that can dissolve only a small concentration of carbon (no more than 0.021% by mass at 910 °C).[8]

Above 912 °C and up to 1400 °C α-iron undergoes a phase transition from bcc to the fcc configuration of γ-iron, also called austenite. This is similarly soft and metallic but can dissolve considerably more carbon (as much as 2.04% by mass at 1146 °C). This form of iron is used in the type of stainless steel used for making cutlery, and hospital and food-service equipment.[7]

The high-pressure phases of iron are important as endmember models for the solid parts of planetary cores. The inner core of the Earth is generally assumed to consist essentially of an iron-nickel alloy with ε (or β) structure.

The melting point of iron is experimentally well constrained for pressures up to approximately 50 GPa. For higher pressures, different studies placed the γ-ε-liquid triple point at pressures differing by tens of gigapascals and yielded differences of more than 1000 K for the melting point. Generally speaking, molecular dynamics computer simulations of iron melting and shock wave experiments suggest higher melting points and a much steeper slope of the melting curve than static experiments carried out in diamond anvil cells.[9]

Isotopes

Naturally occurring iron consists of four stable isotopes: 5.845% of 54Fe, 91.754% of 56Fe, 2.119% of 57Fe and 0.282% of 58Fe. Of these stable isotopes, only 57Fe has a nuclear spin (−1/2). The nuclide 54Fe is predicted to undergo double beta decay, but this process had never been observed experimentally for these nuclei, and only the lower limit on the half-life was established: t1/2>3.1×1022 years.

60Fe is an extinct radionuclide of long half-life (2.6 million years).[10] It is not found on Earth, but its ultimate decay product forms part of the natural abundance of the stable nuclide nickel-60.

Much of the past work on measuring the isotopic composition of Fe has focused on determining 60Fe variations due to processes accompanying nucleosynthesis (i.e., meteorite studies) and ore formation. In the last decade however, advances in mass spectrometry technology have allowed the detection and quantification of minute, naturally occurring variations in the ratios of the stable isotopes of iron. Much of this work has been driven by the Earth and planetary science communities, although applications to biological and industrial systems are beginning to emerge.[11]

The most abundant iron isotope 56Fe is of particular interest to nuclear scientists as it represents the most common endpoint of nucleosynthesis. It is often cited, falsely, as the isotope of highest binding energy, a distinction which actually belongs to nickel-62.[12] Since 56Ni is easily produced from lighter nuclei in the alpha process in nuclear reactions in supernovae (see silicon burning process), nickel-56 (14 alpha particles) is the endpoint of fusion chains inside extremely massive stars, since addition of another alpha particle would result in zinc-60, which requires a great deal more energy. This nickel-56, which has a half-life of about 6 days, is therefore made in quantity in these stars, but soon decays by two successive positron emissions within supernova decay products in the supernova remnant gas cloud, first to radioactive cobalt-56, and then stable iron-56. This last nuclide is therefore common in the universe, relative to other stable metals of approximately the same atomic weight.

In phases of the meteorites Semarkona and Chervony Kut a correlation between the concentration of 60Ni, the daughter product of 60Fe, and the abundance of the stable iron isotopes could be found which is evidence for the existence of 60Fe at the time of formation of the Solar System. Possibly the energy released by the decay of 60Fe contributed, together with the energy released by decay of the radionuclide 26Al, to the remelting and differentiation of asteroids after their formation 4.6 billion years ago[citation needed]. The abundance of 60Ni present in extraterrestrial material may also provide further insight into the origin of the Solar System and its early history.

Nuclei of iron atoms have some of the highest binding energies per nucleon, surpassed only by the nickel isotope 62Ni. This is formed by nuclear fusion in stars. Although a further tiny energy gain could be extracted by synthesizing 62Ni, conditions in stars are unsuitable for this process to be favored. Elemental distribution on Earth greatly favors iron over nickel, and also presumably in supernova element production.[13]

Iron-56 is the heaviest stable isotope produced by the alpha process in stellar nucleosynthesis; elements heavier than iron and nickel require a supernova for their formation. Iron is the most abundant element in the core of red giants, and is the most abundant metal in iron meteorites and in the dense metal cores of planets such as Earth.

Nucleosynthesis

Iron is created by extremely large, extremely hot (over 2.5 billion kelvin) stars, through a process called the silicon burning process. It is the heaviest stable element to be produced in this manner. The process starts with the second largest stable nucleus created by silicon burning: calcium. One stable nucleus of calcium fuses with one helium nucleus, creating unstable titanium. Before the titanium decays, it can fuse with another helium nucleus, creating unstable chromium. Before the chromium decays, it can fuse with another helium nucleus, creating unstable iron. Before the iron decays, it can fuse with another helium nucleus, creating unstable nickel-56. Any further fusion of nickel-56 consumes energy instead of producing energy, so after the production of nickel-56, the star does not produce the energy necessary to keep the core from collapsing. Eventually, the nickel-56 decays to unstable cobalt-56 which, in turn decays to stable iron-56. When the core of the star collapses, it creates a Supernova. Supernovas also create additional forms of stable iron via the r-process.

Occurrence

Planetary occurrence

Iron meteorites of similar composition of Earth's inner and outer core

Iron is the sixth most abundant element in the Universe, and the most common refractory element.[14] It is formed as the final exothermic stage of stellar nucleosynthesis, by silicon fusion in massive stars. Metallic iron is rarely found on the surface of the Earth because it tends to oxidize, but its oxides are pervasive and represent the primary ores. While it makes up about 5% of the Earth's crust, both the Earth's inner and outer core are believed to consist largely of an iron-nickel alloy constituting 35% of the mass of the Earth as a whole. Iron is consequently the most abundant element on Earth, but only the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust.[15][16] Most of the iron in the crust is found combined with oxygen as iron oxide minerals such as hematite and magnetite. Large deposits of iron are found in banded iron formations. These geological formations are a type of rock consisting of repeated thin layers of iron oxides, either magnetite (Fe3O4) or hematite (Fe2O3), alternating with bands of iron-poor shale and chert. The banded iron formations are common in the time between 3,700 million years ago and 1,800 million years ago[17][18]

About 1 in 20 meteorites consist of the unique iron-nickel minerals taenite (35–80% iron) and kamacite (90–95% iron). Although rare, iron meteorites are the main form of natural metallic iron on the Earth's surface.[19] It was proven by Mössbauer spectroscopy that the red color of the surface of Mars is derived from an iron oxide-rich regolith.[20]

Stocks in use in society

According to the International Resource Panel's Metal Stocks in Society report, the global per capita stock of iron in use in society is 2200 kg. Much of this is in more-developed countries (7000–14000 kg per capita) rather than less-developed countries (2000 kg per capita).

Chemistry and compounds

Oxidation
state
Representative compound
−2 Disodium tetracarbonylferrate (Collman's reagent)
−1
0 Iron pentacarbonyl
1 Cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl dimer ("Fp2")
2 Ferrous sulfate, ferrocene
3 Ferric chloride, ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate
4 Barium ferrate(IV)
5
6 Potassium ferrate

Iron forms compounds mainly in the +2 and +3 oxidation states. Traditionally, iron(II) compounds are called ferrous, and iron(III) compounds ferric. Iron also occurs in higher oxidation states, an example being the purple potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) which contains iron in its +6 oxidation state. Iron(IV) is a common intermediate in many in biochemical oxidation reactions.[21][22] Numerous organometallic compounds contain formal oxidation states of +1, 0, −1, or even −2. The oxidation states and other bonding properties are often assessed using the technique of Mössbauer spectroscopy.[23] There are also many mixed valence compounds that contain both iron(II) and iron(III) centers, such as magnetite and Prussian blue (Fe4(Fe[CN]6)3).[22] The latter is used as the traditional "blue" in blueprints.[24]

Some canary-yellow powder sits, mostly in lumps, on a laboratory watch glass.
Hydrated iron(III) chloride, also known as ferric chloride

The iron compounds produced on the largest scale in industry are iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4·7H2O) and iron(III) chloride (FeCl3). The former is one of the most readily available sources of iron(II), but is less stable to aerial oxidation than Mohr's salt ((NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O). Iron(II) compounds tend to be oxidized to iron(III) compounds in the air.[22]

Unlike many other metals, iron does not form amalgams with mercury. As a result, mercury is traded in standardized 76 pound flasks (34 kg) made of iron.[25]

Binary compounds

Iron reacts with oxygen in the air to form various oxide and hydroxide compounds; the most common are iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4), and iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3). Iron(II) oxide also exists, though it is unstable at room temperature. These oxides are the principal ores for the production of iron (see bloomery and blast furnace). They are also used in the production of ferrites, useful magnetic storage media in computers, and pigments. The best known sulfide is iron pyrite (FeS2), also known as fool's gold owing to its golden luster.[22]

The binary ferrous and ferric halides are well known, with the exception of ferric iodide. The ferrous halides typically arise from treating iron metal with the corresponding binary halogen acid to give the corresponding hydrated salts.[22]

Fe + 2 HX → FeX2 + H2

Iron reacts with fluorine, chlorine, and bromine to give the corresponding ferric halides, ferric chloride being the most common:

2 Fe + 3 X2 → 2 FeX3 (X = F, Cl, Br)

Coordination and organometallic compounds

Several cyanide complexes are known. The most famous example is Prussian blue, (Fe4(Fe[CN]6)3). Potassium ferricyanide and potassium ferrocyanide are also known; the formation of Prussian blue upon reaction with iron(II) and iron(III) respectively forms the basis of a "wet" chemical test.[22] Prussian blue is also used as an antidote for thallium and radioactive caesium poisoning.[26][27] Prussian blue can be used in laundry bluing to correct the yellowish tint left by ferrous salts in water.[28]

Several carbonyl compounds of iron are known. The premier iron(0) compound is iron pentacarbonyl, Fe(CO)5, which is used to produce carbonyl iron powder, a highly reactive form of metallic iron. Thermolysis of iron pentacarbonyl gives the trinuclear cluster, triiron dodecacarbonyl. Collman's reagent, disodium tetracarbonylferrate, is a useful reagent for organic chemistry; it contains iron in the −2 oxidation state. Cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl dimer contains iron in the rare +1 oxidation state.[29]

Ferrocene is an extremely stable complex. The first sandwich compound, it contains an iron(II) center with two cyclopentadienyl ligands bonded through all ten carbon atoms. This arrangement was a shocking novelty when it was first discovered,[30] but the discovery of ferrocene has led to a new branch of organometallic chemistry. Ferrocene itself can be used as the backbone of a ligand, e.g. dppf. Ferrocene can itself be oxidized to the ferrocenium cation (Fc+); the ferrocene/ferrocenium couple is often used as a reference in electrochemistry.[31]

History

Wrought iron

A circle, with a short, simple arrow shape extending diagonally upwards and rightwards from its edge
The symbol for Mars has been used since antiquity to represent iron.
An pillar, slightly fluted, with some ornamentation at its top. It is black, slightly weathered to a dark brown near the base. It is around 7 meters (22 feet) tall. It stands upon a raised circular base of stone, and is surrounded by a short, square fence.
The Delhi iron pillar is an example of the iron extraction and processing methodologies of India. The iron pillar at Delhi has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years.

Iron objects of great age are much rarer than objects made of gold or silver due to the ease of corrosion of iron.[32] Beads made of meteoric iron in 3500 B.C. or earlier were found in Gerzah, Egypt by G. A. Wainwright.[33] The beads contain 7.5% nickel, which is a signature of meteoric origin since iron found in the Earth's crust has very little to no nickel content. Meteoric iron was highly regarded due to its origin in the heavens and was often used to forge weapons and tools or whole specimens placed in churches.[33] Items that were likely made of iron by Egyptians date from 2500 to 3000 BC.[32] Iron had a distinct advantage over bronze in warfare implements. It was much harder and more durable than bronze, although susceptible to rust. However, this is contested. Hittitologist Trevor Bryce argues that before advanced iron-working techniques were developed in Europe and India, cast-iron weapons used by early Mesopotamian armies had a tendency to shatter in combat, due to their high carbon content.[34]

The first iron production started in the Middle Bronze Age but it took several centuries before iron displaced bronze. Samples of smelted iron from Asmar, Mesopotamia and Tall Chagar Bazaar in northern Syria were made sometime between 2700 and 3000 BC.[35] The Hittites appear to be the first to understand the production of iron from its ores and regard it highly in their society.[28] They began to smelt iron between 1500 and 1200 BC and the practice spread to the rest of the Near East after their empire fell in 1180 BC.[35] The subsequent period is called the Iron Age. Iron smelting, and thus the Iron Age, reached Europe two hundred years later and arrived in Zimbabwe, Africa by the 8th century.[35]

Artifacts from smelted iron occur in India from 1800 to 1200 BC,[36] and in the Levant from about 1500 BC (suggesting smelting in Anatolia or the Caucasus).[37][38]

The Book of Genesis, fourth chapter, verse 22 contains the first mention of iron in the Old Testament of the Bible; "Tubal-cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron."[32] Other verses allude to iron mining (Job 28:2), iron used as a stylus (Job 19:24), furnace (Deuteronomy 4:20), chariots (Joshua 17:16), nails (I Chron. 22:3), saws and axes (II Sam. 12:31), and cooking utensils (Ezekiel 4:3).[39] The metal is also mentioned in the New Testament, for example in Acts chapter 12 verse 10, "[Peter passed through] the iron gate that leadeth unto the city" of Antioch.[40] The Quran referred to Iron 1400 years ago.

Iron working was introduced to Greece in the late 11th century BC.[41] The spread of ironworking in Central and Western Europe is associated with Celtic expansion. According to Pliny the Elder, iron use was common in the Roman era.[33] The annual iron output of the Roman Empire is estimated at 84,750 t,[42] while the similarly populous Han China produced around 5,000 t.[43]

During the Industrial Revolution in Britain, Henry Cort began refining iron from pig iron to wrought iron (or bar iron) using innovative production systems. In 1783 he patented the puddling process for refining iron ore. It was later improved by others including Joseph Hall.

Cast iron

Cast iron was first produced in China about 550 BC,[44] but was hardly in Europe until the medieval period.[45][46] During the medieval period, means were found in Europe of producing wrought iron from cast iron (in this context known as pig iron) using finery forges. For all these processes, charcoal was required as fuel.

Coalbrookdale by Night, 1801. Blast furnaces light the iron making town of Coalbrookdale.

Medieval blast furnaces were about 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and made of fireproof brick; forced air was usually provided by hand-operated bellows.[46] Modern blast furnaces have grown much bigger.

In 1709, Abraham Darby I established a coke-fired blast furnace to produce cast iron. The ensuing availability of inexpensive iron was one of the factors leading to the Industrial Revolution. Toward the end of the 18th century, cast iron began to replace wrought iron for certain purposes, because it was cheaper. Carbon content in iron wasn't implicated as the reason for the differences in properties of wrought iron, cast iron and steel until the 18th century.[35]

Since iron was becoming cheaper and more plentiful, it also became a major structural material following the building of the innovative first iron bridge in 1778.

Steel

Steel (with smaller carbon content than pig iron but more than wrought iron) was first produced in antiquity by using a bloomery. Blacksmiths in Luristan in western Iran were making good steel by 1000 BC.[35] Then improved versions, Wootz steel by India and Damascus steel by China were developed around 300 B.C. and 500 A.D. respectively. These methods were specialized, and so steel did not become a major commodity until the 1850s.[47]

New methods of producing it by carburizing bars of iron in the cementation process were devised in the 17th century AD. In the Industrial Revolution, new methods of producing bar iron without charcoal were devised and these were later applied to produce steel. In the late 1850s, Henry Bessemer invented a new steelmaking process, involving blowing air through molten pig iron, to produce mild steel. This made steel much more economical, thereby leading to wrought iron no longer being produced.[citation needed]

Foundations of modern chemistry

Antoine Lavoisier used the reaction of water steam with metallic iron inside an incandescent iron tube to produce hydrogen in his experiments leading to the demonstration of the mass conservation. Anaerobic oxidation of iron at high temperature can be schematically represented by the following reactions:

   Fe +    H2O → FeO + H2
2 Fe + 3 H2O → Fe2O3 + 3 H2
3 Fe + 4 H2O → Fe3O4 + 4 H2

Recent discoveries

  • discovery of Mössbauer effect
  • many enzymes use iron in the catalytic center
  • Nickel-56 is the natural end product of silicon burning in massive stars. However Nickel-56 decays to cobalt-56 and then to stable iron-56, ultimately making iron the most abundant heavy element produced by that nucleosynthesis.[48]
  • superconductivity?
  • magnetic effect
  • ferrocene

Industrial production

The production of iron or steel is a process containing two main stages, unless the desired product is cast iron. The first stage is to produce pig iron in a blast furnace. Alternatively, it may be directly reduced. The second is to make wrought iron or steel from pig iron by a further process.

The fining process of smelting iron ore to make wrought iron from pig iron, with the right illustration displaying men working a blast furnace, from the Tiangong Kaiwu encyclopedia, published in 1637 by Song Yingxing.
How iron was extracted in the 19th century

For a few limited purposes like electromagnet cores, pure iron is produced by electrolysis of a ferrous sulfate solution[28]

Blast furnace

Ninety percent of all mining of metallic ores is for the extraction of iron[citation needed]. Industrially, iron production involves iron ores, principally hematite (nominally Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) in a carbothermic reaction (reduction with carbon) in a blast furnace at temperatures of about 2000 °C. In a blast furnace, iron ore, carbon in the form of coke, and a flux such as limestone (which is used to remove silicon dioxide impurities in the ore which would otherwise clog the furnace with solid material) are fed into the top of the furnace, while a massive blast of heated air, about 4 tons per ton of iron,[46] is forced into the furnace at the bottom.

Iron output in 2005

In the furnace, the coke reacts with oxygen in the air blast to produce carbon monoxide:

2 C + O2 → 2 CO

The carbon monoxide reduces the iron ore (in the chemical equation below, hematite) to molten iron, becoming carbon dioxide in the process:

Fe2O3 + 3 CO → 2 Fe + 3 CO2

Some iron in the high-temperature lower region of the furnace reacts directly with the coke:

2 Fe2O3 + 3 C → 4 Fe + 3 CO2

The flux is present to melt impurities in the ore, principally silicon dioxide sand and other silicates. Common fluxes include limestone (principally calcium carbonate) and dolomite (calcium-magnesium carbonate). Other fluxes may be used depending on the impurities that need to be removed from the ore. In the heat of the furnace the limestone flux decomposes to calcium oxide (also known as quicklime):

CaCO3 → CaO + CO2

Then calcium oxide combines with silicon dioxide to form a liquid slag.

CaO + SiO2 → CaSiO3

The slag melts in the heat of the furnace. In the bottom of the furnace, the molten slag floats on top of the denser molten iron, and apertures in the side of the furnace are opened to run off the iron and the slag separately. The iron, once cooled, is called pig iron, while the slag can be used as a material in road construction or to improve mineral-poor soils for agriculture[46]

This heap of iron ore pellets will be used in steel production.

In 2005, approximately 1,544 million metric tons of iron ore were produced worldwide. According to the British Geological Survey, China was the top producer of iron ore with at least one quarter world share, followed by Brazil, Australia and India.

Direct iron reduction

Since coke is becoming more regulated due to environmental concerns, alternative methods of processing iron have been developed. One of them is known as direct iron reduction.[46] It reduces iron ore to a powder substance called sponge iron, which is suitable for steelmaking. There are two main reactions that go on in the direct reduction process:

Natural gas is partially oxidized (with heat and a catalyst):

2 CH4 + O2 → 2 CO + 4 H2

These gases are then treated with iron ore in a furnace, producing solid sponge iron:

Fe2O3 + CO + 2 H2 → 2 Fe + CO2 + 2 H2O

Silica is removed by adding a flux, i.e. limestone, later.

Further processes

Iron-carbon phase diagram, various stable solid solution forms

Pig iron is not pure iron, but has 4–5% carbon dissolved in it with small amounts of other impurities like sulfur, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. As the carbon is the major impurity, the iron (pig iron) becomes brittle and hard. This form of iron, also known as cast iron, is used to cast articles in foundries such as stoves, pipes, radiators, lamp-posts and rails.

Alternatively pig iron may be made into steel (with up to about 2% carbon) or wrought iron (commercially pure iron). Various processes have been used for this, including finery forges, puddling furnaces, Bessemer converters, open hearth furnaces, basic oxygen furnaces, and electric arc furnaces. In all cases, the objective is to oxidize some or all of the carbon, together with other impurities. On the other hand, other metals may be added to make alloy steels.

The hardness of the steel depends upon its carbon content: the higher the percentage of carbon, the greater the hardness and the lesser the malleability. The properties of the steel can also be changed by several methods.

Annealing involves the heating of a piece of steel to 700–800 °C for several hours and then gradual cooling. It makes the steel softer and more workable.

Steel may be hardened by cold working. The metal is bent or hammered into its final shape at a relatively cool temperature. Cold forging is the stamping of a piece of steel into shape by a heavy press. Wrenches are commonly made by cold forging. Cold rolling, which involves making a thinner but harder sheet, and cold drawing, which makes a thinner but stronger wire, are two other methods of cold working. To harden the steel, it is heated to red-hot and then cooled by quenching it in the water. It becomes harder and more brittle. If it is too hardened, it is then heated to a required temperature and allowed to cool. The steel thus formed is less brittle.

Heat treatment is another way to harden steel. The steel is heated red-hot, then cooled quickly. The iron carbide molecules are decomposed by the heat, but do not have time to reform. Since the free carbon atoms are stuck, it makes the steel much harder and stronger than before.[46]

Sometimes both toughness and hardness are desired. A process called case hardening may be used. Steel is heated to about 900 °C then plunged into Oil or Water. Carbon from the oil can diffuse into the steel, making the surface very hard. The surface cools quickly, but the inside cools slowly, making an extremely hard surface and a durable, resistant inner layer.

Iron may be passivated by dipping it into a concentrated nitric acid solution. This forms a protective layer of oxide on the metal, protecting it from further corrosion.[49]

Applications

Metallurgical

Iron is the most widely used of all the metals, accounting for 95% of worldwide metal production.[citation needed] Its low cost and high strength make it indispensable in engineering applications such as the construction of machinery and machine tools, automobiles, the hulls of large ships, and structural components for buildings. Since pure iron is quite soft, it is most commonly used in the form of steel.

Commercially available iron is classified based on purity and the abundance of additives. Pig iron has 3.5–4.5% carbon[50] and contains varying amounts of contaminants such as sulfur, silicon and phosphorus. Pig iron is not a saleable product, but rather an intermediate step in the production of cast iron and steel from iron ore. Cast iron contains 2–4% carbon, 1–6% silicon, and small amounts of manganese. Contaminants present in pig iron that negatively affect material properties, such as sulfur and phosphorus, have been reduced to an acceptable level. It has a melting point in the range of 1420–1470 K, which is lower than either of its two main components, and makes it the first product to be melted when carbon and iron are heated together. Its mechanical properties vary greatly, dependent upon the form carbon takes in the alloy.

"White" cast irons contain their carbon in the form of cementite, or iron carbide. This hard, brittle compound dominates the mechanical properties of white cast irons, rendering them hard, but unresistant to shock. The broken surface of a white cast iron is full of fine facets of the broken carbide, a very pale, silvery, shiny material, hence the appellation.

In gray iron the carbon exists free as fine flakes of graphite, and also renders the material brittle due to the stress-raising nature of the sharp edged flakes of graphite. A newer variant of gray iron, referred to as ductile iron is specially treated with trace amounts of magnesium to alter the shape of graphite to spheroids, or nodules, vastly increasing the toughness and strength of the material.

Wrought iron contains less than 0.25% carbon.[50] It is a tough, malleable product, but not as fusible as pig iron. If honed to an edge, it loses it quickly. Wrought iron is characterized by the presence of fine fibers of slag entrapped in the metal. Wrought iron is more corrosion resistant than steel. It has been almost completely replaced by mild steel for traditional "wrought iron" products and blacksmithing.

Mild steel corrodes more readily than wrought iron, but is cheaper and more widely available. Carbon steel contains 2.0% carbon or less,[51] with small amounts of manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, and silicon. Alloy steels contain varying amounts of carbon as well as other metals, such as chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, etc. Their alloy content raises their cost, and so they are usually only employed for specialist uses. One common alloy steel, though, is stainless steel. Recent developments in ferrous metallurgy have produced a growing range of microalloyed steels, also termed 'HSLA' or high-strength, low alloy steels, containing tiny additions to produce high strengths and often spectacular toughness at minimal cost.

Apart from traditional applications, iron is also used for protection from ionizing radiation. Although it is lighter than another traditional protection material, lead, it is much stronger mechanically. The attenuation of radiation as a function of energy is shown in the graph.

The main disadvantage of iron and steel is that pure iron, and most of its alloys, suffer badly from rust if not protected in some way. Painting, galvanization, passivation, plastic coating and bluing are all used to protect iron from rust by excluding water and oxygen or by cathodic protection.

Of compounds

Although its metallurgical role is dominant in terms of amounts, iron compounds are pervasive in industry as well being used in many niche uses. Iron catalysts are traditionally used in the Haber-Bosch Process for the production of ammonia and the Fischer-Tropsch process for conversion of carbon monoxide to hydrocarbons for fuels and lubricants.[52] Powdered iron in an acidic solvent was used in the Bechamp reduction the reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline.[53]

Iron(III) chloride finds use in water purification and sewage treatment, in the dyeing of cloth, as a coloring agent in paints, as an additive in animal feed, and as an etchant for copper in the manufacture of printed circuit boards.[54] It can also be dissolved in alcohol to form tincture of iron.[28] The other halides tend to be limited to laboratory uses.

Iron(II) sulfate is used as a precursor to other iron compounds. It is also used to reduce chromate in cement. It is used to fortify foods and treat iron deficiency anemia. These are its main uses. Iron(III) sulfate is used in settling minute sewage particles in tank water. Iron(II) chloride is used as a reducing flocculating agent, in the formation of iron complexes and magnetic iron oxides, and as a reducing agent in organic synthesis.

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, iron-sulfur world theory.[citation needed]

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 (see high-valent iron), and catalase.[55]

Bioinorganic compounds

The most famous bioinorganic compounds of iron are heme proteins: 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, tofu, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, blackstrap molasses, 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.[56] Although some studies suggest that heme/hemoglobin from red meat has effects which may increase the likelihood of colorectal cancer,[57][58] there is still some controversy,[59] and even a few studies suggesting that there is not enough evidence to support such claims.[60]

Iron provided by dietary supplements is often found as iron(II) fumarate, although iron sulfate is cheaper and is absorbed equally well. Elemental iron, or reduced iron, despite being absorbed at only one third to two thirds the efficiency (relative to iron sulfate),[61] is often added to foods such as breakfast cereals or enriched wheat flour. Iron is most available to the body when chelated to amino acids[62] and is also available for use as a common iron supplement. Often the amino acid chosen for this purpose is the cheapest and most common amino acid, glycine, leading to "iron glycinate" supplements.[63] The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron varies considerably based on age, gender, and source of dietary iron (heme-based iron has higher bioavailability).[64] Infants may require iron supplements if they are bottle-fed cow's milk.[65] Blood donors and pregnant women are at special risk of low iron levels and are often advised to supplement their iron intake.[66]

Uptake and storage

In cells, iron storage is carefully regulated; "free" iron ions do not exist as such. A major component of this regulation is the protein transferrin, which binds iron ions absorbed from the duodenum and carries it in the blood to cells.[67] In animals, plants, and fungi, iron is often the metal ion incorporated into the heme complex. Heme is an essential component of cytochrome proteins, which mediate redox reactions, and of oxygen carrier proteins such as hemoglobin, myoglobin, and leghemoglobin. Inorganic iron also contributes to redox reactions in the iron-sulfur clusters of many enzymes, such as nitrogenase (involved in the synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen) and hydrogenase. Non-heme iron proteins include the enzymes methane monooxygenase (oxidizes methane to methanol), ribonucleotide reductase (reduces ribose to deoxyribose; DNA biosynthesis), hemerythrins (oxygen transport and fixation in Marine invertebrates) and purple acid phosphatase (hydrolysis of phosphate esters).

Iron distribution is heavily regulated in mammals, partly because iron ions have a high potential for biological toxicity.[68]

Iron acquisition poses a problem for aerobic organisms because ferric iron is poorly soluble near neutral pH. Thus, bacteria have evolved high-affinity sequestering agents called siderophores.[69][70][71]

Regulation of uptake

Iron uptake is tightly regulated by the human body, which has no regulated physiological means of excreting iron. Only small amounts of iron are lost daily due to mucosal and skin epithelial cell sloughing, so control of iron levels is mostly by regulating uptake.[72] Regulation of iron uptake is impaired in some people as a result of a genetic defect that maps to the HLA-H gene region on chromosome 6. In these people, excessive iron intake can result in iron overload disorders, such as hemochromatosis. Many people have a genetic susceptibility to iron overload without realizing it or being aware of a family history of the problem. For this reason, it is advised that people do not take iron supplements unless they suffer from iron deficiency and have consulted a doctor. Hemochromatosis is estimated to cause disease in between 0.3 and 0.8% of Caucasians.[73]

MRI finds that iron accumulates in the hippocampus of the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease and in the substantia nigra of those with Parkinson disease.[74]

Permeable reactive barriers

Zero-valent iron is the main reactive material for permeable reactive barriers.[citation needed]

Precautions

NFPA 704
NFPA 704.svg
Fire diamond for powdered iron metal

Large amounts of ingested iron can cause excessive levels of iron in the blood. High blood levels of free ferrous iron react with peroxides to produce free radicals, which are highly reactive and can damage DNA, proteins, lipids, and other cellular components. Thus, iron toxicity occurs when there is free iron in the cell, which generally occurs when iron levels exceed the capacity of transferrin to bind the iron. Damage to the cells of the gastrointestinal tract can also prevent them from regulating iron absorption leading to further increases in blood levels. Iron typically damages cells in the heart, liver and elsewhere, which can cause significant adverse effects, including coma, metabolic acidosis, shock, liver failure, coagulopathy, adult respiratory distress syndrome, long-term organ damage, and even death.[75] Humans experience iron toxicity above 20 milligrams of iron for every kilogram of mass, and 60 milligrams per kilogram is considered a lethal dose.[76] Overconsumption of iron, often the result of children eating large quantities of ferrous sulfate tablets intended for adult consumption, is one of the most common toxicological causes of death in children under six.[76] The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) lists the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for adults as 45 mg/day. For children under fourteen years old the UL is 40 mg/day.

The medical management of iron toxicity is complicated, and can include use of a specific chelating agent called deferoxamine to bind and expel excess iron from the body.[75][77]

See also

References

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Books

  • H. R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry ... to 1775 AD (Routledge, London, 1957)
  • R. F. Tylecote, History of Metallurgy (Institute of Materials, London 1992).
  • R. F. Tylecote, 'Iron in the Industrial Revolution' in J. Day and R. F. Tylecote, The Industrial Revolution in Metals (Institute of Materials 1991), 200–60.
  • Weeks, Mary Elvira; Leichester, Henry M. (1968). "Elements Known to the Ancients". Discovery of the Elements. Easton, PA: Journal of Chemical Education. pp. 29–40. ISBN 0766138720. LCCCN 68-15217. 

External links


Translations:

Iron

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - jern, kraft, styrke, strygejern, pistol
v. tr. - stryge, beklæde/beslå med jern
v. intr. - stryge
adj. - af jern, jern-, ubarmhjertig, hård

idioms:

  • in irons    i lænker
  • Iron Age    Jernalder
  • iron curtain    jerntæppe
  • iron discipline    hård disciplin
  • iron hand    jernhånd
  • iron horse    jernhest
  • iron lung    jernlunge
  • iron man    iron man, hel triatlon
  • iron out    glatte ud, bringe ud af verden
  • iron rations    nødration
  • irons in the fire    jern i ilden

Nederlands (Dutch)
ijzer, steunbeugel, schietijzer, zilveren munten, strijkijzer, strijken, onbuigzaam, ijzeren, ijzersterk

Français (French)
n. - fer, fer à repasser, fer (au golf), attelle, (Méd) fer
v. tr. - repasser
v. intr. - repasser, se repasser (un vêtement)
adj. - de fer, en fer, draconien

idioms:

  • in irons    aux fers
  • Iron Age    âge de fer
  • iron curtain    rideau de fer
  • iron discipline    discipline de fer
  • iron hand    (fig) poigne de fer
  • iron horse    (US, Hist) locomotive à vapeur
  • iron lung    poumon d'acier
  • iron man    homme d'acier
  • iron out    (lit) faire partir (qch) au fer, (fig) aplanir (un problème), peaufiner
  • iron rations    vivres de réserve, vivres/rations, vivre sur ses rations
  • irons in the fire    (avoir) beaucoup d'affaires en train

Deutsch (German)
n. - Eisen, Bügeleisen, Hand-/Fußschellen
v. - bügeln
adj. - eisern, stählern

idioms:

  • in irons    in Eisen
  • Iron Age    Eisenzeit
  • iron curtain    eiserner Vorhang
  • iron discipline    eiserne Disziplin
  • iron hand    eiserne Faust
  • iron horse    Dampfroß (Lokomotive)
  • iron lung    eiserne Lunge
  • iron man    stahlharter Mann
  • iron out    herausbügeln, ausgleichen, beseitigen
  • iron rations    eiserne Ration
  • irons in the fire    mehrere Eisen im Feuer

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σίδερο, σίδηρος, σίδερο σιδερώματος, είδος μπαστουνιού του γκολφ, (καθομ.) σιδερικό, κουμπούρι
v. - σιδερώνω (ρούχα κ.λπ.)
adj. - σιδηρούς, σιδερένιος

idioms:

  • in irons    στα σίδερα, σιδηροδέσμιος
  • Iron Age    Εποχή του Σιδήρου
  • iron curtain    το Σιδηρούν Παραπέτασμα
  • iron discipline    αυστηρή/σιδηρά πειθαρχία
  • iron hand    σιδερένια πυγμή
  • iron horse    ατμομηχανή
  • iron lung    (ιατρ.) τεχνητός πνεύμονας
  • iron man    δυνατός αθλητής, τρίαθλο
  • iron out    εξομαλύνω, ομαλοποιώ
  • iron rations    (στρατ.) ξηρά τροφή
  • irons in the fire    πολλές δουλειές ταυτόχρονα

Italiano (Italian)
ferri, stirare, ferro, ferro da stiro, di ferro

idioms:

  • in irons    in catene
  • Iron Age    età del ferro
  • iron curtain    cortina di ferro
  • iron discipline    disciplina di ferro
  • iron hand    pugno di ferro
  • iron horse    locomotiva
  • iron lung    polmone d'acciaio, contenitore per spillare la birra (irlandese)
  • iron man    uomo di ferro
  • iron out    appianare
  • iron rations    razioni di riserva
  • irons in the fire    carne al fuoco

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ferro (m) (de passar roupa), ferro (m) (Quím.)
v. - passar a ferro, resolver (coloq.)
adj. - férreo

idioms:

  • in irons    sem poder manobrar (barco a vela)
  • Iron Age    idade (f) do ferro
  • iron curtain    cortina (f) de ferro
  • iron discipline    disciplina (f) férrea
  • iron hand    mão firme
  • iron horse    locomotiva (f)
  • iron lung    pulmão (m) de aço
  • iron man    homem (m) firme
  • iron out    resolver as diferenças
  • iron rations    ração (f) de reserva (enlatados)
  • irons in the fire    dispor de muitos recursos ou estar envolvido em muitas tarefas ao mesmo tempo

Русский (Russian)
железо, железное изделие, утюг, оковы, оружие, железный, сильный, жестокий, злой, утюжить, покрывать железом, заковывать

idioms:

  • in irons    в кандалах, связанный по рукам и ногам, плыть против ветра
  • Iron Age    Железный век
  • iron curtain    железный занавес
  • iron discipline    железная дисциплина
  • iron hand    железная рука
  • iron horse    стальной конь (паровоз), мотоцикл
  • iron lung    искусственные легкие
  • iron man    серебряный доллар, врубовая машина
  • iron out    выравнивать, устранять
  • iron rations    неприкосновенный запас
  • irons in the fire    несколько дел одновременно, различные средства

Español (Spanish)
n. - hierros, grilletes, grillos, hierro, acero, plancha
v. tr. - herrar, planchar, aherrojar
v. intr. - herrar, planchar
adj. - de hierro, férreo

idioms:

  • in irons    encadenado, engrillado
  • Iron Age    Edad del Hierro
  • iron curtain    cortina de hierro
  • iron discipline    disciplina férrea
  • iron hand    mano de hierro
  • iron horse    locomotora
  • iron lung    pulmón de acero
  • iron man    dólar, dólar de plata, hombre de hierro (musculoso), máquina que ejecuta un trabajo que antes se hacía a mano
  • iron out    allanar dificultades, hacer desaparecer, suprimir, planchar
  • iron rations    ración de reserva, raciones de campaña
  • irons in the fire    tener muchas actividades, tener muchos recursos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - järn (äv. bildl.), strykjärn, brännjärn, järnklubba (golf), järnpreparat (med.), järn (skjutvapen)
v. - stryka, slå i järn (bojor), fjättra, järnbeslå, gå att stryka
adj. - järn-, järngrå, järnhård, obarmhärtig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
铁, 坚强, 熨斗, 用铁铸成, 熨, 烫平, 用铁包, 烫衣服, 铁的, 残酷的, 刚强的

idioms:

  • in irons    被监禁
  • Iron Age    铁器时代
  • iron curtain    铁幕
  • iron discipline    铁的纪律
  • iron hand    铁腕, 坚强严厉的手段
  • iron horse    火车
  • iron lung    人工呼吸器
  • iron man    铁人
  • iron out    烫平, 消除
  • iron rations    军用干粮, 野战应急口粮
  • irons in the fire    手头上同时做各种工作

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鐵, 堅強, 熨斗
v. tr. - 用鐵鑄成, 熨, 燙平, 用鐵包
v. intr. - 燙衣服
adj. - 鐵的, 殘酷的, 剛強的

idioms:

  • in irons    被監禁
  • Iron Age    鐵器時代
  • iron curtain    鐵幕
  • iron discipline    鐵的紀律
  • iron hand    鐵腕, 堅強嚴厲的手段
  • iron horse    火車
  • iron lung    人工呼吸器
  • iron man    鐵人
  • iron out    燙平, 消除
  • iron rations    軍用乾糧, 野戰應急口糧
  • irons in the fire    手頭上同時做各種工作

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 철, 다리미, 수갑
v. tr. - 다림질 하다, 수갑을 채우다, 철을 입히다
v. intr. - 다림질 하다
adj. - 철의, 굳은, 냉혹한

idioms:

  • in irons    수갑을 차고, 잡힌 몸이 되어
  • iron out    다림질 하여 펴다, 해소하다, 변동을 억제하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 鉄, アイロン, 鉄製品, アイアン, 手かせ, 強さ
adj. - 鉄の
v. - アイロンをかける, アイロンがけをする

idioms:

  • in irons    足かせをはめられて, 操船不能になって
  • Iron Age    鉄器時代, 黒鉄時代
  • iron curtain    鉄のカーテン, 共産圏の
  • iron discipline    鉄の訓練
  • iron fist    鉄拳
  • iron hand    アイアンハンド
  • iron horse    機関車, 戦車
  • iron lung    鉄の肺
  • iron man    1ドル銀貨, ドル, 粘り強くやりぬく男, 鉄人
  • iron out    アイロンをかける, アイロンで伸ばす, 解決する, 取り除く
  • iron rations    非常食
  • soldering iron    はんだごて

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حديد, أصفاد, مكواة (فعل) يزود أو يكسو بالحديد, يكوي (صفه) حديدي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ברזל, מגהץ‬
v. tr. - ‮גיהץ, ציפה בברזל, כבל באזיקים‬
v. intr. - ‮התגהץ‬
adj. - ‮עשוי מברזל, בלתי-נכנע, שלשלאות, כבלים, נחושתיים, ארכוף (לרגלי נכה)‬


 
 

 

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