Monday, April 10, 2023

I for iron

This is the ninth in the series of 26 posts this month, one post a day, barring four Sundays, each on a theme corresponding to a letter of the English alphabet. My theme this year is "Chemicals in our life", spurred by my interest in chemistry.

It is one of the most abundant elements in the universe, and it makes up most of the Earth's core and crust. 

Iron has the symbol Fe (Ferrum in Latin) and the atomic number 26. Iron has a high melting point of 1,538°C (2,800.4°F) and a boiling point of 2,862°C (5,181.8°F). 

Iron is a lustrous, silvery-grey metal that is magnetic. 

In its pure form, iron is actually soft and ductile.

Most of the iron we see is hard because it's alloyed or mixed with other metals.

Some common iron alloys are steel (iron with carbon), stainless steel (iron with chromium and nickel), cast iron (iron with carbon and silicon), and wrought iron (iron with very low carbon).

Needless to say, iron is widely used as a material for tools, weapons, machines, buildings, bridges, railways, cars, ships, and many other applications. 

Iron is important for our health. It's a component of haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. Iron deficiency can cause anaemia, a condition that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. 

Iron is also involved in many metabolic processes and enzyme reactions in the body. 

It is often alloyed with other metals to improve its strength, hardness, corrosion resistance, or magnetic properties. 

Image from Pixabay

The information provided in this post has been obtained from multiple, authentic resources. However, it is presented in an abridged format and might not have all the details. Therefore, before acting on any information, readers are requested to exercise caution and do further research.

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023I am also on A2Z April Challenge.


22 comments:

  1. Never knew stainless steel was iron with chromium and nickel...

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    1. Hi John - There are other metals too, and depending upon the composition there are various types of stainless steel.

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  2. A few years ago, in India, people used to call stainless steel as eversilver. Don't know if they still call it by that name.

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  3. I've been steeling myself for this one as 'I' approached.

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    1. Andrew cracks me up. Heh... Blessings to you and yours, Pradeep.

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  4. Good information. Nice to know. We make subzis in iron kadhai so that some of it gets absorbed by the body

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    1. Hi Anshu - Thanks for dropping by and for your comments. I have heard this. But I am not sure if there is any scientific evidence to support this belief. I haven't been able to check it. Now that you have mentioned it, maybe I should check with a chemistry/biology professor.

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  5. Hari OM
    Ubiquitous and utilitarian! YAM xx

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  6. steel as eversilver -- I am learning so much even from your comments!https://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2023/04/h-is-for-c-s-lewis.html

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  8. Too much iron is as bad as too little iron in the body.

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    1. Hi Jabblog - Yes, that is true. It's very important to have a balance.

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  9. One the oldest elements known, I believe, if not the oldest. It's pretty important.

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  10. Hi Pradeep - just popping in to say 'good on you' for faithfully blogging every day with this challenge - you're more committed than me - I just couldn't sustain it after a few years. It's an interesting theme you've chosen for 2023.

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    1. Hi Leanne - Thank you, so much. Luckily April isn't as busy as the previous few months. So I am able to devote some time.

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  11. My husband loves cooking with a cast iron pan. I don't, because I can't handle not using soap to clean it, but allegedly it messes up the pan if you do!

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