Iron

Fe	26
Iron

Abundance: 5% (surface)

Mars Iron from MOLA data

Iron (periodic table symbol: Fe²⁶) in the form of iron oxide gives Mars its characteristic red color. Iron can be extracted from iron oxide by smelting or may be found as meteoric iron. Under heat and pressure, Iron will form a Carbonyl with carbon monoxide (CO), which could be used to extract iron from dust and soil. The most common isotope is 56Fe.

Iron is a basic constituent of a very wide variety of structures and machines. Iron oxide is a chemical compound of the form Fe2O3 (hematite) or Fe3O4 (magnetite). Fe2O3 is rusty red in color. Magnetite is usually black.

Iron, when alloyed with carbon, is the main constituent of Steel. Alloying with Chromium produces stainless steel, while alloying with nickel produces high strength, high temperature steels.

See also

Blacksmith

Steel

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