Iron is a transition metal, one of the elements in the middle of the periodic table between Groups 2 and 13 in Rows 4, 5, and 6. Iron's atomic number is 26, its atomic mass is 55.847, and its chemical symbol is Fe.

Properties

Iron is a silvery white or grayish metal that is ductile and malleable. It is one of only three naturally occurring magnetic elements, the other two being its neighbors in the periodic table, cobalt and nickel. Iron has a very high tensile strength and is very workable, capable of being bent, rolled, hammered, cut, shaped, formed, and otherwise worked into some desirable shape or thickness. Iron's melting point is 2,797°F (1,536°C) and its boiling point is about 5,400°F (3,000°C). Its density is 7.87 grams per cubic centimeter.

Iron is an active metal that combines readily with oxygen in moist air to form iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), commonly known...