Iron

Pure iron is a bright silvery-white metal which oxidizes (rusts) rapidly in moist air or in water containing dissolved oxygen. It is soft, malleable, and ductile, and is strongly magnetic (ferromagnetic). It is rare to find it in elemental form on the arth, but the sample at right was found in !reenland. It has also been found in igneous rocks in "ussia. Pure iron has little use - some for analytical chemistry and some in medicine. It is made much more useful by alloying it with other materials. #dding a small amount of carbon to iron greatly strengthens it, and other useful alloys are made by adding amounts of the transition metals. Iron is one of the big 8 elements in the arth$s crust, being the fourth most abundant element at about %& by weight. Iron ore is abundant, but its isolation is an energy-intensive process. 'he chief ores are the oxides hematite, (e)*+, and magnetite, (e+*,, and its carbonate siderite, (e-*+. Iron also forms the oxide minerals lepidocrocite and goethite, each with the general formula (e*(*.). Iron is found with manganese and zinc in the oxide mineral Franklinite. #nother oxide with boron (borate) with iron, titanium and magnesium is warwickite. 'ungsten is found with iron and manganese in the mineral Wolframite. Iron /oins magnesium in the carbonate pyroaurite. Iron pyrite, (e)0, contains the iron, but it is difficult to isolate from the sulfur. 'his ore is used as a source for sulfur. # variation on pyrite is called pyrrhotite and the composition is written (e1-x0. Iron also forms the sulfide marcasite, (e0). -opper /oins iron to form chalcopyrite, -u(e0). Iron also /oins with arsenic to form arsenopyrite, (e#s0. Iron with arsenic forms the mineral loellingite, (e#s). Iron forms some phosphates li2e vivianite. 'itanium and iron together form the oxide ilmenite, (e'i*+. -hromium and iron together form the oxide chromite, (e-r)*,. Iron forms an oxide mineral with titanium, lead and manganese called senaite. Iron /oins in a sulfide with copper and antimony called tetrahedrite. # sulfide with antimony forms the mineral berthierite. 0ulfides with copper include bornite, -u%(e0,, and cubanite, -u(e)0+. # sulfide formed with tin, lead and antimony is called cylindrite. Iron is found in the mineral nagyagite, a sulfide, along with gold, lead, antimony, and tellurium. Tennantite is a sulfide which contains iron, arsenic, copper and antimony. Germanite is a sulfide which contains copper, germanium and iron. 3ead, copper and iron /oin in the sulfide betekhtinite. -obalt /oins with iron and arsenic in the sulfide glaucodot, (-o,(e)#s0. 4inc and iron form the sulfide wurtzite, (4n,(e)0. # sulfate mineral of iron and potassium is jarosite. Beudantite is a mineral containing iron and lead along with sulfate and arsenate groups, Pb(e+(#s*,,0*,))(*.)5. Iron, along with magnesium, is a constituent of the fibrous silicate minerals which were collectively given the commercial name asbestos. 'hose minerals include tremolite, riebeckite and grunerite. 'he abundant iron in the arth$s crust is found in silicate minerals such as andradite.
trengite is a phosphate mineral of iron. trunzite is a phosphate mineral of iron and manganese. Graftonite is a phosphate mineral of iron, manganese and calcium. Iron appears

with magnesium and aluminum in the phosphate lazulite . Iron, magnesium and manganese form the phosphate mineral ludlamite. Phosphates of aluminum and iron are vau!ite and paravau!ite. # phosphate of iron and lithium is triphylite. 6ic2el is often found in association with iron and sometimes forms the compound 6i+(e, called awaruite in its mineral form. "ickel#iron meteorites are fairly common. -ommon useful forms of iron alloys are cast iron, wrought iron, and steel. 7rought iron is made from cast iron by melting it on a bed of iron oxide. 'he final result is a material which is nearly pure iron, with only 8.1-8.)& of carbon and less than 8.%& of all impurities. 'he purification occurs because the iron oxide bed oxidizes the carbon to carbon monoxide and the sulfur, phosphorus and silicon to their oxides. 'hese oxides become part of the slag. #s the iron becomes purer, its melting point rises and it becomes pasty, signaling the time to remove it from the furnace. 'he slag is then forced out by hammering. 7rought iron created by this process is strong and tough and can be welded and forged. 9ery popular in the past, it has now been largely supplanted by mild steel. 0teel is a purified alloy of iron with carbon which is manufactured in the li:uid state. 'he manufacturing process eliminates almost all of the phosphorus, sulfur, and silicon which exist in common cast iron. 'he range of carbon content for steels is 8.1 to 1.%&. 3ow carbon steels (;8.)& carbon) are called mild steels. 'hey are malleable and ductile and are used in place of wrought iron. <edium steels (8.) to 8.5& carbon) are used for structural steel (beams, girders). =oth mild and medium steels can be forged and welded. .igh-carbon steels (8.>% to 1.%& carbon) are used for ma2ing cutting tools, surgical instruments, drills and other tools. <edium and high-carbon steels can be hardened and tempered. Iron is crucial to life in that it is present in hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to other body tissue. Iron is also present in myoglobin in the muscles. <yoglobin is similar to hemoglobin and ta2es oxygen from it, holding the oxygen in the muscle until it is needed. 'here are iron-containing compounds called cytochromes in the cells where they play a role in the oxidation of food molecules.

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This page looks at the use of the Blast Furnace in the e!traction of iron from iron ore+ and the conversion of the raw iron from the furnace into various kinds of steel,

)!tracting iron from iron ore using a Blast Furnace

$ntroduction The common ores of iron are both iron o!ides+ and these can be reduced to iron by heating them with carbon in the form of coke, -oke is produced by heating coal in the absence of air, -oke is cheap and provides both the reducing agent for the reaction and also the heat source # as you will see below, $ron ores The most commonly used iron ores are haematite ./ 0 hematite1+ Fe2&3+ and magnetite+ Fe3&4, 5 "ote0 The two e6uations for the reduction of the ore on this page are for haematite, $n the fairly unlikely event that you need the e6uations for magnetite+ they aren7t difficult to work out for yourself, The Blast Furnace

The heat source The air blown into the bottom of the furnace is heated using the hot waste gases from the top, 8eat energy is valuable+ and it is important not to waste any,

The coke .essentially impure carbon1 burns in the blast of hot air to form carbon dio!ide # a strongly e!othermic reaction, This reaction is the main source of heat in the furnace, 5

The reduction of the ore 't the high temperature at the bottom of the furnace+ carbon dio!ide reacts with carbon to produce carbon mono!ide, 5 $t is the carbon mono!ide which is the main reducing agent in the furnace, 5 5

$n the hotter parts of the furnace+ the carbon itself also acts as a reducing agent, "otice that at these temperatures+ the other product of the reaction is carbon mono!ide+ not carbon dio!ide, 5 The temperature of the furnace is hot enough to melt the iron which trickles down to the bottom where it can be tapped off,

The function of the limestone $ron ore isn7t pure iron o!ide # it also contains an assortment of rocky material, This wouldn7t melt at the temperature of the furnace+ and would eventually clog it up, The limestone is added to convert this into slag which melts and runs to the bottom, The heat of the furnace decomposes the limestone to give calcium o!ide, 5 This is an endothermic reaction+ absorbing heat from the furnace, $t is therefore important not to add too much limestone because it would otherwise cool the furnace, -alcium o!ide is a basic o!ide and reacts with acidic o!ides such as silicon dio!ide present in the rock, -alcium o!ide reacts with silicon

dio!ide to give calcium silicate, 5 The calcium silicate melts and runs down through the furnace to form a layer on top of the molten iron, $t can be tapped off from time to time as slag, lag is used in road making and as 9slag cement9 # a final ground slag which can be used in cement+ often mi!ed with :ortland cement,

Cast iron The molten iron from the bottom of the furnace can be used as cast iron, -ast iron is very runny when it is molten and doesn7t shrink much when it solidifies, $t is therefore ideal for making castings # hence its name, 8owever+ it is very impure+ containing about 4; of carbon, This carbon makes it very hard+ but also very brittle, $f you hit it hard+ it tends to shatter rather than bend or dent, -ast iron is used for things like manhole covers+ guttering and drainpipes+ cylinder blocks in car engines+ 'ga#type cookers+ and very e!pensive and very heavy cookware, 5 "ote0 $t is 6uite difficult to find e!amples of uses for cast iron+ because it is nowadays often replaced by other materials, For e!ample+ although guttering and drainpipes were once made of cast iron+ apart from special old buildings+ it is now 6uite hard to find any which aren7t made of plastic< teel =ost of the molten iron from a Blast Furnace is used to make one of a number of types of steel, There isn7t just one substance called steel # they are a family of alloys of iron with carbon or various metals, =ore about this later , , ,

teel#making0 the basic o!ygen process $mpurities in the iron from the Blast Furnace include carbon+ sulphur+ phosphorus and silicon, These have to be removed, Removal of sulphur ulphur has to be removed first in a separate process, Magnesium

powder is blown through the molten iron and the sulphur reacts with it to form magnesium sulphide, This forms a slag on top of the iron and can be removed, 5 Removal of carbon etc The still impure molten iron is mi!ed with scrap iron .from recycling1 and oxygen is blown on to the mi!ture, The o!ygen reacts with the remaining impurities to form various o!ides, The carbon forms carbon mono!ide, ince this is a gas it removes itself from the iron< This carbon mono!ide can be cleaned and used as a fuel gas, )lements like phosphorus and silicon react with the o!ygen to form acidic o!ides, These are removed using quicklime (calcium oxide) which is added to the furnace during the o!ygen blow, They react to form compounds such as calcium silicate or calcium phosphate which form a slag on top of the iron, 5

Types of iron and steel Cast iron has already been mentioned above, This section deals with the types of iron and steel which are produced as a result of the steel#making process, rought iron $f all the carbon is removed from the iron to give high purity iron+ it is known as wrought iron, Wrought iron is 6uite soft and easily worked and has little structural strength, $t was once used to make decorative gates and railings+ but these days mild steel is normally used instead, Mild steel =ild steel is iron containing up to about >,2?; of carbon, The presence of the carbon makes the steel stronger and harder than pure iron, The higher the percentage of carbon+ the harder the steel becomes, =ild steel is used for lots of things # nails+ wire+ car bodies+ ship building+ girders and bridges amongst others, !igh carbon steel 8igh carbon steel contains up to about @,?; of carbon, The presence of the e!tra carbon makes it very hard+ but it also makes it more brittle, 8igh carbon steel is used for cutting tools and masonry nails .nails designed to

be driven into concrete blocks or brickwork without bending1, Aou have to be careful with high carbon steel because it tends to fracture rather than bend if you mistreat it,