Iron (Fe)
"Meet Ferrum, the Mettle Master! He's the super-strong backbone of Earth, the lifeblood of living things, and a magnetic force always ready to flex its power!"
A memorable persona to anchor Fe in your mind.
7.874
Grams per cm³
1538
Celsius (°C)
194
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
The trusty cast-iron skillet your food cooks in or the sturdy frame holding your bicycle together!
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
Ancient
Discovered By
Unknown
Origin of Name
"The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon name ''iren''."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
55.845 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
2861°C
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d64s2
1st Ionization Energy
7.902 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"A shiny, silvery-grey metal that often sports a reddish-brown 'rust' cloak when exposed to air and water."
Did You Know?
Iron makes up the vast majority of Earth's inner and outer core, essentially being the planet's super-hot, metallic heart!
Your blood absolutely needs iron! It’s the key ingredient in hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from your lungs to every single cell in your body. No iron, no oxygen!
Iron is one of the only elements that is ferromagnetic, meaning it gets super-attracted to magnets and can even become a magnet itself!
Scientists believe iron is the heaviest element stars can create through nuclear fusion before collapsing into a spectacular supernova explosion!