Iron

Symbol: Fe
Atomic number: 26
Category: transition metals
Group: 8
Period: 4
Block: d
Atomic weight: 55.845 g/mol
Electrons per shell: 2, 8, 14, 2
CAS number: 7439-89-6
Phase: solid
Density: 7.874 kg/dm³ (near room temperature)
Melting point: 1811 K (1538 °C, 2800 °F)
Boiling point: 3134 K (2862 °C, 5182 °F)
Crystal structure: body-centered cubic
Oxidation states: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Electronegativity: 1.84 (Pauling scale)
Name's origin: ferreus
Name's meaning: to be hard in Latin
Facts:
- is the sixth most abundant element in the Universe
- is the most widely used of all the metals, accounting for 95 % of worldwide metal production
- fresh iron surfaces are lustrous and silvery-grey in color, but oxidise in air to form a red or brown coating of ferrous oxide or rust