The mineral magnetite has an outdated name - magnetic iron ore. This is a fairly common mineral. It has been known about since ancient times, used as a compass. This mineral was of interest to Plato. The fact is that the philosopher noticed that magnetite is able to attract and be attracted by other objects. And when interacting with bodies, it is able to transfer its energy. Of course, the ancient philosopher meant magnetic properties, but at that time they had not yet been discovered, and Plato, alas, had no scientific proof of this phenomenon.
Why is magnetite called that?
- According to legend, there was a Greek shepherd named Magnes, whose nails in his shoes and part of his staff were made from this mineral. As a result, they were attracted to different objects.
- According to another version, the name came from the Turkish city of Magnesia, near which there was a mountain famous for being often struck by lightning.
Interestingly, there is a mountain in the Urals, entirely composed of the mineral magnetite. Its name -Magnetic mountain. There is also the Ethiopian Mount Zimir, famous for attracting all the nails and iron things on ships. It is easy to guess that for the most part it consists of magnetite.
These features can be explained by the fact that magnetic iron ore contains 70 percent of pure iron. And, as you know, iron has magnetic properties.
Because of such a property as magnetization, iron ore was called in the Middle Ages - a magnet. Later it was called magnetic iron ore, and later - just magnetite, which did not change its properties in any way.
Formula
Consider the chemical formula of magnetite. The mineral is represented by a black crystalline substance. If you look at the photo, there will be no doubt about it.
Magnetite's formula is known as FeOFe2O3 or Fe3O 4.
That is, it is a mixture of two oxides - ferrous and ferric iron.
Knowing the composition of magnetite, it is easy to calculate that magnetic iron ore contains 70 percent pure iron. The remaining 30 are oxygen.
As you can see in the photo, this mineral has a metallic sheen, rarely matte and is not transparent.
Properties of the mineral magnetite
Of course, we understand that legends tend to be exaggerated, to the so-called grotesque, but something initially provoked their appearance.
These legends about mountains and shepherds are based on strong ferromagnetic propertiesiron ore. Moreover, magnetite sand, that is, magnetite, brought by grinding to the state of sand, also has similar properties. The photo shows what it looks like.
The magnetization of iron ore is so strong that it can change the compass readings by attracting the poles of the device.
One more of its features is a conchoidal fracture. What does it mean? A conchoidal fracture is formed when the object being studied is split, while the fracture itself is similar to the shell of a bivalve mollusk. All this is due to the composition and physical properties inherent in the substance. Hence the name - conchoidal fracture (because of the similarity with the shell).
The mineral magnetite is brittle, it is a semiconductor, but its electrical conductivity is low.
As mentioned earlier, it is highly magnetic. This property is so pronounced that the mineral can change the compass readings. By the way, this is how they find it: if the compass needle behaves strangely, then the mineral is nearby. After all, she "rushes" between the usual pole and the breed that attracts her.
It is noteworthy that the Curie point is in the range from 550 Kelvin to 600. If the temperature is lower, then the metal is ferromagnetic, if it is higher, then it is paramagnetic.
What is the Curie point (Curie temperature)?
Now it remains to understand these terms. First, let's find out what the Curie point is. This term means the phase transition temperature at which the properties of a substance change. For example, iron becomes malleable andplastic, and magnetite becomes paramagnetic.
What is ferromagnetism?
We used this term more than once in this article, but never mentioned its meaning. We will correct this error immediately.
Ferromagnetism is, oddly enough, ferromagnets. The latter are so named because they are capable of being magnetized without external interference, such as a force field.
What is paramagnetism?
Accordingly, let's figure out what paramagnetism is. To do this, we will give an explanation of the concept of "paramagnets". These are substances that in a force field, namely in an external magnetic field, are magnetized in the direction of the force field.
It is logical to assume that diamagnets are magnetized under such conditions against the direction of the external magnetic field.
But let's not delve into this topic. To fully understand it, you will have to write a separate article, since such information is replete with specific terms, and it is not possible to understand this topic in a couple of sentences.
Impurities in magnetite
Very often magnetic iron ore contains impurities such as manganese, vanadium, titanium, chromium and others. If the proportion of such impurities in magnetite is large, then varieties of this mineral are distinguished. For example, titanomagnetite, it is also called ilmenite.
Magnetite deposits
This mineral is fairly common and quite common. Most often it is found in iron ores. Most often, this breed is formed as a result ofmetamorphic or magmatic transformations.
There are deposits of tatanomagnetite in the Chelyabinsk region. To be more precise, this place is called the Kusinsky field. At this location, the ores mainly consist of the above magnetite, chlorite and ilmenite.
The Kopan titanomagnetite deposit is also being developed. It is located in the Southern Urals.
As we said, this rock is very common, so magnetic ironstone is found in Canada, South Africa, New York, etc.
Interestingly, magnetite has not been widely used in jewelry. However, anyone can buy jewelry made from this mineral, such jewelry is relatively inexpensive, and any buyer can afford it. You can buy a magnetite bracelet, its approximate price is 600-700 rubles. But this, of course, depends on the country in which you purchase the product.
In addition to jewelry, it is also used in ferrous metallurgy, making steel from it. It is also used to produce vanadium and phosphorus. It is clear that magnetite is the main ore for iron mining. This mineral has found application in medicine. Due to its magnetic properties, it is used to remove metal objects from the esophagus.
Now you can summarize the information contained in the article. The mineral magnetite or magnetic iron ore is very common. If you take a handful of sand, then there is a great chance that you will have a grain of magnetic iron ore in your hands. This mineral is very unusual in its properties, which is why it is actively used in the mostdifferent areas.
