Each person meets in the conduct of his household with a phenomenon such as rust. He knows that this is the result of iron oxidation.
How is rust formed?
Any metal product contains a certain amount of an iron element: steel, ligature, etc. It is involved in many technological processes for the production of various metals. Elements of iron are found in the earth's crust. This metal is added in the production process of many types of products, and it is practically impossible to completely get rid of it, and in some cases this is not necessary. This element, present in a metal product, oxidizes over time under the influence of air, moisture, water, and as a result, iron oxide 3 forms on the surface. Of course, the product is covered with a protective layer, but it is easy to break it by exposing it to any technical impact from the outside.
Basic properties
Iron oxide is a very ductile silver metal. It lends itself well to many types of machining: forging, rolling. Its ability to dissolve many elements in itself has been widely used in the production of many alloys. This
chemical element interacts with almost all diluted acids, forming compounds of the corresponding valency. But in concentrated acids, it behaves very passively. Pure iron is obtained by technical processing of mineral raw materials, in which
mainly iron
oxide is present.
Connections
Iron forms compounds of two rows: 2-valent and 3-valent compounds. Each of them characterizes its oxide. Iron compounds are formed by dissolving in acids. The salts of iron 3 are strongly hydrolyzed, therefore they have such a yellow-brown color, although the element itself is colorless. Iron compounds are widely used in metallurgy as reducing agents, in the national economy in pest control, in the textile industry, etc. Anhydrous iron oxide 2 is obtained from oxide 3 by reduction as a black powder, while iron oxide 3 is produced by calcining iron hydroxide 3. Oxides underlie the formation of salts of ferric acid. There are also little-known compounds of this acid and compounds with a valency of +6. Upon fusion of oxide 3, ferrites and ferrates are formed, new, not yet well-studied compounds.
Prevalence in nature
The described element and its compounds are very widespread in nature. Iron oxide 3 occurs in the form of red and brown iron ore, and Fe3O4 occurs in the form of magnetic iron ore . Iron pyrite (sulfide) is used to produce sulfuric acid . Oxides are the main source of steel and cast iron. Steel and cast iron have approximately the same composition, the only difference is the carbon content. Iron alloys containing less than 2.14% carbon are called steels, and more than 2.14% - cast iron. This distribution is not suitable for complex steels, such as alloy steels, because they have a more complex composition and are characterized by the presence of additional elements.