26 Fe Iron

Transition metal, mass: 55.845 u, 3 stable isotopes (56, 57, 58), ⁵⁴Fe is nearly stable, abundance rank (earth/space): 4/9

Click image to magnify. Fragments of an iron meteorite, about 92% iron. Original size of the single pieces in cm: 0.4 - 0.8

Iron is a silvery, relatively reactive metal, which is very abundant and is used for multiple purposes. Commonly it is alloyed together with carbon and other elements to become steel. The number of different steels is very high, their characters vary over a wide span. Sometimes pure iron occurs in nature, but most is found in ores. Meteorites that hit Earth's ground and don't evaporate before often are iron meteorites. Iron can be seen as an energetic ideal state of matter. Smaller atoms can set energy free by fusion, larger atoms by fission, but from iron no nuclear energy can be won. ⁵⁶Fe has the highest binding energy per nuclear particle. Very big stars form an iron core shortly before their final collapse and the following supernova. Iron is essential for mammals and makes our blood red. Iron is known to humanity since several millennia and has shaped our culture and civilization like no other element.


Left: Rust, an old horseshoe, covered with black FeO and red Fe₂O₃.
Right: Red hot iron is forged with hammer and anvil.


Cylinder of pure iron, 16 grams, 1 cm diameter.

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