Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Iron(III) oxide
| General | |
|---|---|
| Name | Iron(III) oxide |
| Chemical formula | Fe2O3 |
| Appearance | Red powder |
| Physical | |
| Formula weight | 159.7 amu |
| Melting point | 1838 K (1565 °C) |
| Density | 5.2 ×10³ kg/m³ |
| Crystal structure | Corundum |
| Solubility | insoluble |
| Thermochemistry | |
| ΔfH0liquid | ? kJ/mol |
| ΔfH0solid | |
| S0liquid, 1 bar | ? J/mol·K |
| S0solid | 87 J/mol·K |
| Safety | |
| Ingestion | Extremely large or sustained doses may cause iron poisoning. |
| Inhalation | Dust may cause mechanical irritation. Long term exposure to dust may cause mild pneumoconiosis. |
| Skin | No adverse effect reported. |
| Eyes | May cause mechanical irritation. Long term exposure may stain the cornea. |
| More info | Hazardous Chemical Database |
|
SI units were used where possible. Unless otherwise stated, standard conditions were used. | |
Iron(III) oxide - also known as ferric oxide, red iron oxide, synthetic maghemite, rouge,or rust - is one of several oxide compounds of iron, and is most notable for its ferromagnetic properties. Its chemical formula is Fe2O3.
The mineral form of ferric oxide is hematite; it is mined as the main ore of iron.
Iron(III) oxide is often used in magnetic storage, for example in the magnetic layer of floppy disks. These consist of a thin sheet of MylarŪ plastic, coated with iron(III) oxide. The particles can be magnetised to represent binary data. MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) also uses iron(III) oxide compounds, suspended in an ink which can be read by special scanning hardware.
The majority of recorded information on earth (such as text and photographs) is stored in the form of magnetization patterns on a thin layer of iron(III) oxide. This is probably because the cost per bit of iron-based magnetic media is currently far less than the cost per bit of any known alternative, such as optical discs, paper books, or microfilm.
The CAS number of ferric oxide is 1309-37-1.
See also
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