 Introduction

 Properties
 Occurrence
 Uses
 Metallurgy
 Introduction
Iron or ferrum (latin word)
Elemental symbol: Fe
Atomic number: 26
Elemental group: Transition element

Metallic iron was known and used for

ornamental purposes and weapons in
prehistoric ages. The earliest specimen still
extant, a group of oxidized iron beads found in
Egypt, dates from about 4000 BC. The
archaeological term Iron Age properly applies
to the period when iron was used extensively
for utilitarian purposes, as in tools, as well as
for ornamentation.
 Physical Properties
 Iron is soft, malleable, and ductile.
 Iron is easily magnetized at ordinary
temperatures; it is difficult to magnetize when
heated, and at about 790° C (about 1450° F) the
magnetic property disappears.
 Pure iron melts at about 1535° C (about 2795° F),
boils at 2750° C (4982° F), and has a specific
gravity of 7.86.
 The atomic weight of iron is 55.847.
 Chemical Properties
 It combines with the halogens (fluorine,
chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine),
sulfur, phosphorus, carbon, and silicon.

 It displaces hydrogen from most dilute

acids.

 It burns in oxygen to form ferrosoferric

oxide, Fe3O4 (magnetite).
 Chemical Properties
 When exposed to moist air, iron becomes
corroded, forming a reddish-brown, flaky,
hydrated ferric oxide commonly known as rust.

 When iron is dipped into concentrated nitric

acid, it forms a layer of oxide that renders it
passive—that is, it does not react chemically
with acids or other substances. The protective
oxide layer is easily broken through by striking
or jarring the metal, which then becomes
active again.
 Occurrence
 Metallic iron occurs in the free state in only a few
localities, notably western Greenland. It is found in
meteorites, usually alloyed with nickel.

 In chemical compounds the metal is widely

distributed and ranks fourth in abundance among all
the elements in the earth's crust; next to aluminum
it is the most abundant of all metals.
 Occurrence
 The principal ore of iron is hematite, which is
mined in the United States in Minnesota,
Michigan, and Wisconsin.

 Other important ores are goethite, magnetite,

siderite, and limonite (bog iron).
 Occurrence
 Pyrite, FeS, the sulfide ore of iron, is not
processed as an iron ore because it is too
difficult to remove the sulfur.

 Small amounts of iron occur in combination in

natural waters, in plants, and as a constituent
of blood.
 Uses of Iron
 Iron is used in processed forms, such as
wrought iron, cast iron, and steel.

 Commercially pure iron is used for the

production of galvanized sheet metal and of
electromagnets.

 Iron compounds are employed for medicinal

purposes in the treatment of anemia.

 Iron is also used in tonics.

 Uses of Iron
 The most important ferrous compound is ferrous
sulfate (FeSO4), called green vitriol or copperas.
It usually occurs as pale-green crystals
containing seven molecules of water of
hydration. It is obtained in large quantities as a
by-product in pickling iron and is used as a
mordant in dyeing, as a tonic medicine, and in
the manufacture of ink and pigments.
 Uses of Iron
 Ferric oxide or hematite, an amorphous red powder,
is obtained by treating ferric salts with a base or by
oxidizing pyrite. It is used both as a pigment,
known as either iron red or Venetian red; as a
polishing abrasive, known as rouge; and as the
magnetizable medium on magnetic tapes and disks.

 Ferric chloride, obtained as dark-green, lustrous

crystals by heating iron in chlorine, is used in
medicine as an alcoholic solution called tincture of
iron.
 Uses of Iron
 Ferric ferrocyanide (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3), a dark-blue,
amorphous solid formed by the reaction of
potassium ferrocyanide with a ferric salt, is
called Prussian blue. It is used as a pigment in
paint and in laundry bluing to correct the
yellowish tint left by the ferrous salts in water.

 Potassium ferricyanide (K3Fe(CN)6), called red

prussiate of potash, is obtained from ferrous
ferricyanide (Fe3[Fe(CN)6] 2; also called
Turnbull's blue), and is used in processing
blueprint paper.
 Metallurgy of Iron
 Reduction of iron oxide in the Blast furnace.

Materials:
• Concentrated iron ore
• Coke
• Blast of hot air
• Flux
 Reactions taking place in the Blast
furnace

• Combustion of Coke
C(s) + O2(g)  CO2(g) + heat
CO2(g) + C(s)  2CO(g)

• Reduction of Fe2O3
2Fe2O3(s) + 3C(s)  4Fe(l) + 3CO2(g)
Fe2O3(s) + 3CO(g)  4Fe(l) + 3CO2(g)
 Reactions taking place in the Blast
furnace

• Calcination
CaCO3(s) + heat  CaO(s) + CO2(g)

• Slag formation
CaO(s) + SiO2(s)  CaSiO3(l) (slag)
CaO(s) + Al2O3(s)  Ca(AlO2)2(l)

2. Carts called skips dump the
charge into the top of the furnace,
where it filters down through bell-
shaped containers called hoppers.
Iron Blast furnace
1. A blast furnace forces
in extremely hot air
through a mixture of ore,
coke, and limestone,
called the charge.
4. The waste metal, called slag,
floats on top of the molten pig iron.
Both of these substances are
drained, or tapped, periodically for
further processing.
Iron Blast furnace
3. Once in the furnace, the
charge is subjected to air blasts
that may be as hot as 870° C
(1600° F).
 Products of the Blast furnace
 Pig iron - 93-95% Fe, 3-5% C, 1% Si,
0.1- 0.3% P, <1% S
 Waste gases – CO2 and CO
 Slag – CaSiO3 and Ca(AlO2)2

Principal products of Iron

 Cast iron

 Wrought iron
 Steel
 CAST IRON
• This is pig iron melted with scrap Iron. It is the
least pure of all forms of iron containing 93%
Fe & 5% C.
WROUGHT IRON
• The purest form of iron produced when
impurities are removed. It contains 0.5%
impurities.
STEEL
• A form of iron which usually contains 0.1 to 2%
carbon.
 STEEL
Carbon Carbon Uses
steels content

Low carbon < 0.3% Rivets, wires,

steel nails

Medium 0.3% to 0.8% Railroad rails,

carbon steel axles

High carbon 0.8% to 2% Tools,

steel springs, files
 Steel Making

• Bessemer Process
• Open-Hearth Method
• Basic Oxygen Process