Every person meets in the conduct of his household with such a phenomenon as rust. He knows it's the result of iron oxidation.
How does rust form?
Any metal product contains a certain amount of the iron element: steel, ligature, etc. It is involved in many technological processes for obtaining various metals. Iron elements are found in the earth's crust. This metal is added during the production of many types of products, and it is almost impossible to completely get rid of it, and in some cases it is not necessary. This element, present in a metal product, oxidizes over time under the action of air, moisture, water, and as a result, iron oxide 3 forms on the surface.
Basic Features
Iron oxide is a very ductile silvery metal. It lends itself well to many types of mechanical processing: forging, rolling. Its ability to dissolve many elements in itself has found wide application in the production of many alloys. This chemical element interactswith almost all dilute 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 iron oxide is mainly present.
Connections
Iron forms compounds of two series: 2-valent and 3-valent compounds. Each of them characterizes its oxide. Iron compounds are formed by dissolving in acids. Iron s alts 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 for 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 obtained by calcination of iron hydroxide 3. Oxides form the basis for the preparation of iron s alts. There are also little-known compounds of this acid and compounds with a valence of +6. When oxide 3 is fused, ferrites and ferrates are formed, new, as yet not very well studied compounds.
Prevalence in nature
The described element and its compounds are very widespread in nature. Iron oxide 3 is found in the form of red, brown iron ore, and Fe3O4 is found in the form of magnetic iron ore. For the production of sulfuric acid, iron pyrite (sulfide) is used. Oxides are the main source of steel andcast iron. Steel and cast iron have roughly 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 are more complex and have additional elements.
