It is also the fourth most abundant element on earth, accounting for 5% of the total and in the group of metals it is inferior to aluminum. In the planetary mass, it is the most abundant because in the core of the planet it has the greatest mass of concentrated native iron, which is equivalent to 70%. The planet’s core is mostly made up of nickel and iron in metallic form, producing a magnetic field with its motion.
Throughout history it has been very important, in fact a period of it is called the Iron Age. In terms of cosmology, this metal is particular because it is the heaviest metal generated by the fusion produced at the heart of massive stars. Elements heavier than iron can only be created in supernovae.
Uses of iron
- Iron is a malleable metal with which you can create different types of tools and objects with different degrees of hardness. Some uses of iron in the construction industry are columns, beams, hangers, plates, sheets, and tubes.
- Iron is also used in other sectors such as the naval sector, the automotive sector and the aeronautical construction. Indeed, the element is used in large quantities in these industries.
- Iron is useful for creating different structures such as bars for windows and doors, supports or shelves, etc. It is also used in stairs, furniture, dining sets such as tables or chairs, the bases of these and various elaborations of this nature that use the iron base as a raw material.
- Another of the applications or utilities of iron is in the manufacture of different industrial machines which are then used to carry out particular defined works. An example of all this are the forklifts with which different contents that have a large volume and weight are mobilized. The tools used in this environment, in agriculture and in construction are also made of iron. Sometimes totally and sometimes only parts of them.
- Apart from the urban environment, iron is also used in rural areas. Farms or fields can be divided by wire structures, these are made of iron, ensuring the strength and durability of the fences.
- In agriculture, iron is used for the proper development of plantations and to produce important nutrients for humans. Each of these uses is promoted by different companies that are dedicated to sourcing and storing the material.
Electron configuration of iron
The Electron configuration of iron can be easily calculated by keeping in mind the number of electrons it has, this will always be similar to its atomic number.
For this reason, since the atomic number of iron is equal to 26, there will be 26 electrons that will be distributed in the energy sublevels, taking into account the range of each orbital shell. This means that the full Electron configuration of iron is 1s2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 6 4s 2 3d 6.
One way to get the Electron configuration of iron in a more summarized way is to use the noble gas reference next to the element. Only the first layers belonging to the rare gas which are similar to the sub-layers of the element to be worked, in this case iron, are used. The closest noble gas being argon, the simplified or abbreviated electron configuration of iron is as follows: [Ar] 4s2 3d6
