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Discovered : known to ancient civilisations
Origin : The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘iren’, and the symbol from the Latin ‘ferrum’, meaning iron.
Description :
Iron is an enigma - it rusts easily and yet is the most important of all metals; world production exceeds 700 million tonnes a year. Small amounts of carbon are added to iron to produce steel and when chromium
is added to this, the result is non-corroding stainless steel (small amounts of nickel may also be added). Iron is also an essential element for all forms of life. The average human contains about 4 grams, much of which circulates as haemoglobin in the blood, the job of which is to carry oxygen from our lungs to where it is needed. If the diet does not contain 10 milligrams a day, anaemia will eventually develop. Foods such as liver, kidney, molasses, brewer’s yeast, cocoa and liquorice contain a lot of iron.
Image :
Alchemical symbol and rivets. Click here to see larger version of this image.
See also chemsoc timeline
Iron animation - click the icon above for viewing instructions. QuickTime Player required.
For more about Visual Element animations click here.
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