Iron

Iron is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Fe (L.: Ferrum) and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 metal. Iron is notable for being the final element produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, and thus the heaviest element which does not require a supernova or similarly cataclysmic event for its formation. It is therefore the most abundant heavy metal in the universe.

Compounds

Common oxidation states of iron include:

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• the Iron(II) state, Fe²⁺, previously ferrous is very common.
• the Iron(III) state, Fe³⁺, previously ferric, is also very common, for example in rust.
• the Iron(IV) state, Fe⁴⁺, previously ferryl, stabilized in some enzymes (e.g. peroxidases).
• the Iron(VI) state, Fe⁶⁺ is also known, if rare, in potassium ferrate.

Iron carbide Fe3C is known as cementite.

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