Reduced iron

Iron,  ₂₆Fe

General properties
Pronunciation	/ˈaɪ.ərn/ EYE-urn
Appearance	lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge
Standard atomic weight (Ar, std)	7001558450000000000♠55.845(2)
Iron in the periodic table
Hydrogen Helium Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson – ↑ Fe ↓ Ru manganese ← iron → cobalt
Atomic number (Z)	26
Group, period	group 8, period 4
Block	d-block
Element category	transition metal
Electron configuration	[Ar] 3d6 4s2
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 14, 2
Physical properties
Phase (at STP)	solid
Melting point	1811 K ​(1538 °C, ​2800 °F)
Boiling point	3134 K ​(2862 °C, ​5182 °F)
Density (near r.t.)	7.874 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)	6.98 g/cm3
Heat of fusion	13.81 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization	340 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity	25.10 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T (K) 1728 1890 2091 2346 2679 3132
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	−4, −2, −1, +1,+2, +3, +4, +5,+6, +7 ​(an amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	Pauling scale: 1.83
Ionization energies	1st: 762.5 kJ/mol 2nd: 1561.9 kJ/mol 3rd: 2957 kJ/mol (more)
Atomic radius	empirical: 126 pm
Covalent radius	Low spin: 132±3 pm High spin: 152±6 pm
Spectral lines
Miscellanea
Crystal structure	​body-centered cubic (bcc) a=286.65 pm
Crystal structure	​face-centered cubic (fcc) between 1185–1667 K
Speed of sound thin rod	5120 m/s (at r.t.) (electrolytic)
Thermal expansion	11.8 µm/(m·K) (at 25 °C)
Thermal conductivity	80.4 W/(m·K)
Electrical resistivity	96.1 nΩ·m (at 20 °C)
Curie point	1043 K
Magnetic ordering	ferromagnetic
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	200–1180 MPa
CAS Number	7439-89-6
History
Discovery	before 5000 BC
Main isotopes of iron
Iso­tope Abun­dance Half-life (t1/2) Decay mode Pro­duct 54Fe 5.85% stable 55Fe syn 2.73 y ε 55Mn 56Fe 91.75% stable 57Fe 2.12% stable 58Fe 0.28% stable 59Fe syn 44.6 d β− 59Co 60Fe syn 2.6×106 y β− 60Co
| references |

Spectral lines

Iron is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is by mass the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust. Its abundance in rocky planets like Earth is due to its abundant production by fusion in high-mass stars, where it is the last element to be produced with release of energy before the violent collapse of a supernova, which scatters the iron into space.

Like the other group 8 elements, ruthenium and osmium, iron exists in a wide range of oxidation states, −2 to +7, 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 hydrated iron oxides, commonly known as rust. Unlike the metals that form passivating oxide layers, iron oxides occupy more volume than the metal and thus flake off, exposing fresh surfaces for corrosion.