5 Fascinating Facts about Iron

Iron is one of the elements that we encounter in its pure form. It is one of the oldest elements to exist in its pure form: for over 5000 years! We regularly find this metal in our daily lives as it is essential for nutrition and is used for making a variety of household objects. Despite all its common applications, following is a list of some of the lesser-known facts about Iron that may surprise you.

The River of Iron

In recent years, a trio of satellites was designed to study the Earth’s magnetic field. The satellites tracked unusual lobes of magnetic flux under Siberia and Alaska. Soon, it became clear that the lobes were on the move. The reason was remarkable. The magnetic lobes were being pushed by a massive river of molten iron. The river was 3000 kilometers long and a whopping 420 kilometers wide. In the last 20 years, the deadly river’s speed has almost tripled. While the cause of the acceleration remains unknown, it could be a natural process seen for the first time. It is estimated that the river moves 50 kilometers a year.

Bird Migration

Bird migration is still a remarkable process that happens every year. Flocks of birds leave their nests and cross massive distances to reach their destination. So how do birds orient themselves in the right direction? Scientists believe that birds use the Earth’s magnetic field to determine their path but in order to do so, the creatures had to detect the field somehow.

In 2013, an odd feature was discovered in birds that might explain their awareness of magnetism. The study looked at something called hair cells. Located within the ear, they pick up on noise and gravity. Incredibly, when researchers zoomed in, they found that each cell had an iron ball. Every bird that was studied had these iron balls.

Disappearing Iron

The Earth’s iron is vanishing, slowly but surely. For a long time, it was believed that volcanoes were causing the disappearing of iron because they have a mineral, called magnetite, which absorbs the element. Recently, this theory has been put under scrutiny and it did not hold up.

Iron depletion occurs at much greater rates where the Earth’s crust is thick. Had magnetite been the thief, the mineral would have been more plentiful in the depletion zones. In 2018, researchers found a new candidate in the zones, one that was abundant and filled with iron. It was another mineral—the ruby-like garnet. However, certain things about the mystery did not change. Scientists still believe that the culprit sucked iron from lava. They investigated deep-crust rocks (that had been thrown from volcanoes millions of years ago) to confirm their theory but couldn’t find any concrete evidence to prove their idea.

Part of Ancient Vessels

Jian Ceramics were produced in China during the Song dynasty. Between AD 960 and 1279, the tea bowls became highly prized. Tea lovers, especially from Japan, appreciated the fact that they retained heat. In addition to that, the vessels were also beautiful. Covered with a dark glaze, the surface showed patterns called ‘Hare’s Fur’, ‘Partridge Spots’, and ‘Oil Spots’. The analysis of Jian ceramics revealed that the pottery contained high levels of epsilon-phase iron oxide and it was the molten iron which resulted in these attractive designs. Lately, scientists have been trying to recreate the compound as it can help develop magnets with higher strength and corrosion resistance but all their attempts have failed, so far.

Visit this link to get a detailed introduction of Jian ceramics.

Iron Transmutation

Alchemists have tried for centuries to turn lead into gold. None of them ever succeeded, but the closest thing to transmutation happened in 2012. At Princeton University, chemist Paul Chirik tricked other molecules into thinking that iron was platinum. The applications for this transmutation could be endless because iron is much cheaper than platinum and developing such a technique could be critical in today’s technological world. Having said that, how did iron turn into platinum? Chirik wrapped an iron molecule in a ligand, which is another molecule but organic. The ligand changed the number of electrons that bonded with other chemicals, making the latter react to the iron as if it was platinum.