Iron is the most familiar element.

However, did you know that iron is inherently soft?

There are many aspects of iron that are surprisingly unknown

In this article, we will explain the properties of iron and how it is used in society.

Please see also some tidbits on how to use Iron in society.

Properties and characteristics of Iron

Iron is the soft metal that gradually oxidizes in air and soft on its own.

Iron has the image of being hard, but actually it’s hard only because it’s a compound with carbon.

Iron is the most commonly used metal product, with about 95% of it being made of steel.

When iron is produced as a single element, it comes from ‘meteorites’.

Humans are said to have started using it more than 4000 years ago, dating back to BC.

It is one of those mysterious elements that no one knows who found, but continues to use.

Let’s look at how they are used in society, one by one.

How Iron is used in society.

Iron is used as a component of ‘railway tracks’, body of ships and ‘Japanese building objects’.

Let’s look at each of them.

Iron is useful “railway line”

In ordinary rails, iron is mixed with small amounts of carbon, manganese and silicon.

In fact, there are different types of rails, which are created for different applications, such as for high-speed and heavy-duty railways.

By the way, when you’re riding the train, you hear that “clackety-clack” sound. That’s the sound made when the train passes over the joints between the rails.

Iron is useful “Body of the ship”

Steel is also used in the bodies of modern ships.

Originally, wooden boats were common, as they were easier to float, but these were changed to steel as they were often deformed or damaged when subjected to strong forces from ocean waves and currents.

If you put heavy steel on a boat, won’t it sink? You might think.

The following article is recommended for those who are interested.

Iron is useful “Buildings in Japan”

Structures of Japanese buildings are broadly categorized into wooden, reinforced concrete, and steel.

Steel is used in reinforced concrete and steel frame structure.

Here is some trivial info.

Steel-framed buildings utilize iron columns and beams instead of wood in their construction.

Reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are reinforced by embedding long, thin steel rods into the concrete.

There is also a steel-framed reinforced concrete (SEC) construction method, where the steel frame is embedded in this RC construction.

Reinforced concrete is generally more popular as it is sturdier and has better soundproofing.

History of iron

・Chemical symbol; Fe

The etymology of the word iron is unknown.

As for the elemental symbol Fe, it is said to derive from the Latin word ‘ferrum’.

The details of the discovery are unknown, as it is said to date from BC.

Summary

In this article, we have explained ‘ iron ‘.

The key points of this article are as follows.

The other elements studied in high school are summarized in the following articles.

Please see also the following pages for a further understanding!