IRON

INTRODUCTION
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 OCCURANCE
 Iron is the fourth most abundant element and the second
most abundant metal in nature. It occurs in combined state.
 Chemically, pure iron is not found in nature. It occurs mostly
as oxide, sulphide and carbonate ore.
Locations where iron
ores were discovered
Baitadi
Lalitpur
Chitwan
Parbat
Tanahun
Ramechhap
Myagdi
 ORES OF IRON

Haematite Magnetite: Limonite:

: Fe2O3 Fe3O4 Fe2O3.3H2O

Iron pyrite: Siderite or

Copper pyrite:
spathic ore:
FeS2 CuFeS2 FeCO3
 EXTRACTION OF IRON
 Iron is mainly extracted from haematite (Fe2O3) ore. The
various steps involved in its extraction are given below.
1. Crushing, pulverization and Concentration

2. Calcination and Roasting

3. Smelting or carbon reduction

 1. CRUSHING, PULVERIZATIOM
AND CONCENTRATION
 The ore is crushed into small pieces
by jaw crushers followed by
powdered from using ball mills.
 The crushed and powdered ore is
concentrated by gravity separation
process (i.e. washed with an
upward steam of water) to wash
lighter impurities and to settle
down heavier particles.
 Further the washed ore is then
concentrated by electromagnetic
separation process to remove
magnetic impurities.
 2. CALCINATION AND ROASTING
 The concentrated ore is heated strongly in
presence of air in reverberatory furnance.
During roasting following changes occur:
i. Moisture and volatile impurities are removed
2Fe2O3.3H2O 2Fe2O3 + 3H2O
ii. Impurities such as Sulphur, phosphorus,
arsenic etc are removed in the form of
oxides.
S + O2 SO2
4P + 5O2 2P2O5
2As + 3O2 2As2O3
iii. If iron carbonate is present, it is decomposed
into FeO and further converted into Fe2O3.
FeCO3 FeO + CO2
4FeO + O2 2Fe2O3
3. SMELTING OR CARBON REDUCTION
 Smelting is done in blast
furnace.
 The calcinated ore mixed

with limestone and coke in

the ratio 8:1:4 is fed into the
furnace.
 At the same time, a blast of

hot air is sent upward

through tuyeres.
 Near the bottom, coke burns

to produce temperature of
about 1700◦C.
Fig: Blast Furnace for extraction
 Temperature in the blast
of iron
furnace decreases along the
height upwards.
 On the basis of the range of temperature and different
chemical reactions, the regions of the blast furnace can
be classified into the following zones
1. Zone of combustion (1500-1700°C) :
This is the hottest part of furnace. Coke burns in
presence of hot air and forms carbon dioxide
C + O2 CO2
As carbon dioxide
rises upward, it comes in contact of coke and reduced
to carbon monoxide. CO2 + C
2CO
2. Zone of fusion (1300°C):
This lies above the zone of combustion. The
spongy iron formed in the zone of reduction slides
down to this zone, then fuses to give molten iron. The
molten iron forms cementite with coke.
3Fe + C
Fe3C (cementite or iron carbide)
3. Zone of slag formation (800-1000°C):
This lies middle of furnace. Here, limestone is decomposed to
produce lime and carbon dioxide. The lime (CaO), thus formed acts
with flux and combines with silica (SiO2) present as impurity to
form slag (CaSiO3).
CaCO3 CaO + CO2
Flux+Impurity
CaO SiO2 slag3
CaSiO

The molten slag forms a separate layer (being lighter) above

molten metal.
4. Zone of reduction ( 500-700C) : Ferric oxide is reduced to spongy
iron by carbon monoxide.
3Fe2O3 + CO 2Fe3O4 + CO2
Fe3O4 + CO 3FeO
Spongy iron+ CO 2
FeO + CO 2Fe + 3CO 2

At the end of the smelting, molten slag floats over the surface of
the molten iron. The molten metal is removed from the metal hole
and allowed to solidify. The iron thus obtained is called pig iron. Pig
iron is remelted to obtain cast iron.
 PROPERTIES OF IRON
Physical properties
 Pure iron is silvery white lustrous metal.

 It is malleable, ductile and good conductor of heat

and electricity.
 It is a heavy metal with specific gravity 7.86.

 It is a good conductor of heat and electricity.

 Its melting point is 1535◦C and boiling point is 2750◦C

 It shows magnetic properties.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

 Actionwith air: Dry air has no effect on iron.

When impure iron is exposed to moist air, it
gets covered with reddish brown layer of rust
due to the formation of hydrated ferric oxide.
2Fe + 3O2 + 2xH2O 2Fe2O3.xH2O
Hydrated ferric oxide
(rust)
• ACTION WITH STEAM:
When steam is passed over red hot iron, ferrosoferric
oxide is formed and hydrogen gas are formed.
3Fe + 4H2O 850 C
◦
Fe3O4 + 4H2
Ferrosoferric
oxide

 Action with non-metal

i. With carbon: iron carbide (cementite) is formed.
3Fe + C Fe3C (iron carbide)
ii. With halogens: Halides are formed.
2Fe + 3Cl2 2FeCl3 (ferric chloride)
2Fe + 3Br2 2FeBr3 (ferric bromide)
iii. With sulphur: Ferrous sulphides are formed.
Fe + S FeS
• ACTION WITH ALKALI:
 Iron has no action with alkali.
 Action with acids:

i. With HCl:
Iron reacts with HCl acid to give hydrogen gas.
Fe + 2HCl FeCl2 + H2
ii. With H2SO4:
 Iron reacts with dilute H2SO4 to give ferrous sulphate and
hydrogen gas.
Fe + H2SO4(dil) FeSO4 + H2
 Iron reacts with conc.H2SO4 to give a mixture of ferrous and
ferric sulphates.
Fe + 2H2SO4(conc.) FeSO4 + SO2 +2H2O
2FeSO4 + 2H2SO4 Fe2(SO4)3 + SO2 +H2O
• ACTION WITH CARBON MONOXIDE:
When CO gas is passed over heated iron at 120◦C
Iron carbonyl is formed.
Fe + 5CO 120
120 C
[Fe(CO)5]
◦

atm
Iron carbonyl
 USES OF IRON
It is used;
 For making trains, cars, buses, trucks,

vans, bikes etc.

 For making steel.
 As a building construction material.
 For making furniture.
 For making utensils etc.
 MANUFACTURE OF STEEL

 Steel is an alloy of iron containing 0.25% to

2% carbon along with a small amount of
impurities like S, P, Si, Mn etc. Steel can be
manufactured both from pig iron as well as
wrought iron.
1. Open hearth process

2. Basic oxygen process

3. Bessemer process

4. Electric furnance process

5. Crucible process

6. Cementation process
1. OPEN HEARTH PROCESS
 This is a modern method. Steel of a more
composition is manufactured by this method
rather than Bessemer process.
 Open Hearth process was developed by

Siemens and Martin.

Sir Carl Wilhelm Pierre-Emile Martin

Siemens
PRINCIPLE
 Oxidation of impurities is done by Haematite
ore instead of air.
 Percentage of Carbon and Silicon are

decreased by adding scrap (unused) iron and

low grade wrought iron.
 Fuel is saved by using regenerating system

of heat.
 WORKING PROCESS
 In this process, open hearth furnance is
used. The furnance is lined either with silica
(SiO2) for basic impurity or with calcined
dolomite (CaO.MgO) for acidic impurities.
 A mixture of cast iron 70%-80%, haematite
and lime 20%-30% is taken in a open hearth
furnance.
 The mixture is heated by producer gas at
about 1500◦C.
 Impurities present on cast iron are oxidized
by haematite ore and removed as gases or
slag.
2Fe2O3 + 3S 4Fe + 3SO2
Fe2O3 + 3C 2Fe + 3CO
(Thomas)
5Fe2O3 + 6P 10Fe + 3P2O5(Gilchrist)
P2O5 + 3CaO Ca3(PO4)2 (slag)
P2O5 + 3MgO Mg3(PO4) (slag)
2Fe2O3 + 3Si 4Fe + 3SiO2 (acidic)
SiO2 + CaO CaSiO3 (slag)
Fe2O3 + 3Mn 2Fe + 3MnO (basic)
MnO + SiO2 MnSiO3
 Samples of steel are drawn from the open hearth
furnance time to time and tested for carbon content.
 Finally suitable amount of spiegeleisen is added to
the molten mass and stirred to obtain steel.
 The process takes about 8-10 hours for completion.
Advantages of Open hearth process
1. Steel of better quality can be manufactured.
2. The composition as well as temperature can be
controlled easily.
3. Scrap iron, low grade cast iron and haematite ore
can be directly converted into steel.
4. Very little amount of iron is lost in the form of slag
etc.
Limitations of Open hearth process
5. This process is slow and takes time (about 8 to 10
hrs) relative to Bessemer process (20 mins) & basic
oxygen method (45 mins).
2. BASIC OXYGEN PROCESS
 This process is also known as
Lintz-Donawitz (or L-D process)
and it was developed in 1953 in
Austria by a Swiss engineer
Robert Durrer and named after
Austrian town Lintz and
Donawitz.
 A basic oxygen furnance (BOF) is
known as refined version of
Bessemer converter because it
was introduced to overcome the
limitations of Bessemer converter.
i.e - steel produced contains a
high nitrogen content. Robert
-heat generated from Durrer
exothermic reaction is dissipated (1880-
and cannot be utilized in the 1978)
process.
WORKING PROCESS
 In this process, pure oxygen with
supresonic (high speed) is bubbled
into molten pig iron containing 16%
scrap iron in the converter.
 The converter has the lining of
basic material (CaO or CaO.MgO)
inside it.
 When O2 is passed over molten pig
iron with high speed at a pressure
of 100 atm per sq. inch, the molten
pig iron becomes very hot and its
temperature rises to about 2500◦C.
 The impurities present in the
molten iron get burnt and form
their oxides such as CO2, SO2, P2O5 ,
SiO2, MnO etc.
C + O2 CO2
S + O2 SO2
4P + 5O2 2P2O5
S + O2 SiO2
 CO2 and SO2 escape out of L-D converter while SiO2, P2O5
and MnO form slag with CaO lining of the converter.
CaO + SiO2 CaSiO3
3CaO + P2O5 Ca3(PO4)2
MnO + SiO2 MnSiO3 (slag)
 The slag floats on the surface of molten steel. After 20-30
mins, CaCO3 is added which decomposes into CaO and
CO2.
 CaO combines with the remaining impurities to form slag.
The whole process completes in 50-60 mins.
 The slag floating on the surface of the molten steel is
removed first and then the steel formed is collected in
steel carriages
Advantages of Basic Oxygen Process
1. The rate of production of steel is very fast.
2. The steel obtained is of very high quality.
3. Steel of required quality can be prepared by this process.
4. Since oxygen is used instead of air in the process, hence
nitrogen free steel is obtained.
TYPES OF STEEL
 Based on carbon content
1. Mild steel: It contains 0.1 to 0.4% of carbon.
They are used for making wires and sheets.
2. Medium steel: It contains 0.2 to 0.5% of
carbon mainly used in construction fields.
3. Hard steel: It contains 0.5 to 1.5% of
carbon. It is hard and brittle like glass so
used in making tools.
4. Alloy steel: They are carbon steels with
additives such as nickel, chromium,
vanadium, tungsten and manganese. They
are stronger and tougher than carbon steels
and are used in bridges, electricity pylons,
bicycle chains, cutting tools and riffle barrels.
 Heat treatment of steels
 The hardness and elasticity of steel can be changed by heating the
steel at different temperatures and then allowing to cool it in
different ways. The important heat treatments of steel are as
follows:
1. Annealing: The process of heating steel to bright redness and
then cooling it very slowly is called annealing. This treatment
makes the steel soft and ductile.
2. Quenching: The process of heating steel to bright redness and
then cooling it very fastly by plunging it into water or oil is called
quenching. This treatment makes the steel hard and brittle.
3. Tempering: The process of heating the quenched steel to a
temperature much below redness and then cooling it slowly is
called tempering. This treatment makes the steel neither so hard
nor so brittle.
 RUSTING OF IRON

 When iron is exposed to moist air for a long time,

a reddish-brown layer of hydrated ferric oxide is
formed which is called rust and the process of
forming rust is called rusting.
 Millions of iron are lost every year due to rusting.

So more attempts have been made to prevent

rusting. Among them, the electrochemical theory
is the most efficient.
 Electrochemical theory
 According to this theory, when impure iron comes in
contact with water containing dissolved oxygen and carbon
dioxide, a galvanic cell is set up. The iron acts as anode and
the impurities acts as cathode. Water containing dissolved
oxygen and carbon dioxide acts as electrolyte.
 At anode: oxidation of iron takes place.
Fe Fe2+ (Ferrous ion) + 2e-
 At cathode: The electrons are used in forming hydroxide
ions.
2H2O + O2 + 4e- 4OH-
 In presence of dissolved oxygen, ferrous ions are oxidized
to ferric ions which combine with hydroxide ions to form
ferric hydroxide
4Fe2+ + 2H2O + O2 4Fe3+ + 4OH-
Fe3+ + 3OH- Fe(OH)3
2Fe(OH)3 Fe2O3.3H2O
PREVENTION OF RUSTING OF IRON

1. Protective coating:
• A coating of oil and grease.
• A thin coating of paints and enamels.
• By passing steam on red hot iron.
2. Application of corrosion inhibitor: Treating iron
with certain solutions like potassium chromate,
phosphoric acid, conc nitric acid inhibits rusting.
3. Galvanization (cathodic protection): The
process of coating zinc (electropositive metal)
over the surface of iron is called galvanization.
Zinc becomes anode and iron becomes the
cathode. Anode sacrifices itself and prevents
cathode from rusting.
 COMPOUNDS OF IRON
 Green Vitriol (FeSO4.7H2O)
 Heptahydrated ferrous sulphate (FeSO4.7H2O) is
commonly known as green vitriol.
USES:
 It is used;
1. as a precursor to other iron compounds.
2. The hydrated form is used medically to
treat iron deficiency.
3. Green vitriol is also used for industrial
applications.
4. It is used in prophylaxis for iron
deficiency in pregnancy and treatment
of iron deficiency anemia.