Thursday, July 18, 2019

Iron

Iron is the chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is one of the most
used metals because of the relatively low production costs and its high strength. Iron can be found in many everyday items, from food containers to screw drivers or any type of machinery. Steel is a form of iron, which is alloyed with carbon and a variety of other metals. Iron ions are a necessary trace element used by almost all living organisms with the only exceptions being a few prokaryotic organisms that live in iron-poor conditions. As an example, the lactobacilli in iron-poor milk use manganese for their catalysis processes. Iron-containing enzymes, usually containing haeme prosthetic groups, participate in the catalysis of oxidation reactions in biology and in the transport of a number of soluble gases.
Iron is a metal extracted from iron ore, and is almost never found in the free elemental state. In order to obtain elemental iron, the impurities must be removed by chemical reduction. Iron is the main component of steel, and it is used in the production of alloys or solid solutions of various metals.Iron is an essential trace element for the human body. Haemoglobin is the oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells; myoglobin facilitates the oxygen use and storage in the muscles; and cytochromes transport electrons. Iron is also an integral part of enzymes in various tissues.

Reference: Essential inorganic chemistry by katja
Page number 148-150

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