Reduced from Fe2O3 with carbon monoxide in a blast furnace at ~1500 °C, giving pig iron; then oxygen-blown in a basic-oxygen furnace to burn off the carbon down to a chosen level. See hematite.
Research Elements Fe · atomic number 26 Transition metal · period 4, group 8 [Ar] 3d6 4s2 Shells: 2, 8, 14, 2 Valence electrons: 2 in the outer shell (4s2), and 6 in 3d6 Green dots are the outer shell's s and p electrons. Softer green dots are the d electrons of transition metals, and the d and f electrons of lanthanides and actinides: they often take part in bonding, but not always. Grey dots are the core. Ground-state configuration from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database (A. Kramida, Yu. Ralchenko, J. Reader and the NIST ASD Team). Abundance is the mole fraction of the element found as that isotope on Earth; digits in parentheses are the uncertainty in the last digits. Masses and abundances from NIST, Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions (J. S. Coursey, D. J. Schwab, J. J. Tsai and R. A. Dragoset, National Institute of Standards and Technology).Iron
Electrons
How it's obtained
Natural isotopes
Isotope Relative atomic mass Abundance 54Fe 53.93960899(53) 0.05845(35) 56Fe 55.93493633(49) 0.91754(36) 57Fe 56.93539284(49) 0.02119(10) 58Fe 57.93327443(53) 0.00282(4) Compounds