Iron Facts
Iron Facts
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| Interesting Iron Facts: |
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| Iron is the sixth most common element in the universe. |
| Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust by weight. |
| It is the most abundant element in the total composition of the planet. |
| Iron is found in both the inner and outer core of Earth. |
| Iron is found on rocky planets as an aftereffect of fusion in stars of higher mass. |
| Iron exists in many different oxidation states. |
| While iron is often found in environments that are low on oxygen, it is highly reactive to both oxygen and water. |
| Iron often appears as a lustrous silver color, but oxidizes to rust in air. |
| Pure elemental iron is actually quite soft. |
| The smelting process hardens iron to a more useable strength. |
| Steel can be as much as one thousand times harder than pure iron. |
| Iron is necessary to living organisms, especially animals. |
| Iron plays a vital role in oxygen transport throughout the body. |
| Blood's deep red color is due to iron-rich proteins, which are found in all living organisms. |
| Iron's characteristics are so stable that iron is often used for comparison and calibration. |
| Iron has four known allotropic forms. |
| Ferrite is the most stable form of iron under normal conditions. |
| Iron also has four known isotopes. |
| Of all of the isotopes, the only one to have a nuclear spin is Fe-57. |
| Fe-56 is the most abundant isotope of iron. |
| Iron is the heaviest element to be created through the silicon burning of hot stars. |
| Iron production for tools began as early as 3600 BC. |
| There are fewer iron artifacts from that time period due to iron's corrosion. |
| Iron is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Genesis in reference to tool making. |
| Iron is actually toxic in high doses, combing with oxygen to form free radicals. |
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