Meet the most common element on Earth (and the sixth most common element in the universe)

Finally we are meeting the fourth most common element on Earth (and the sixth most common element in the universe). Iron is denoted by the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and by the atomic number 26. It is yet another shiny light grey coloured transition metal. In this video, we learn about the Professor's first ever chemical reaction, back in the Ice Ages in his pre-chemist days, and we also learn about the thermite reaction and how it played a central role in a very funny practical joke:


As the Professor mentioned, iron is critically important to living things. It is found in vertebrate blood, bound by the large molecules, haemoglobin and myoglobin, where it binds to molecular oxygen when this gas is at a high concentration and releases it when the concentration is low. Iron is also found in the active sites of many important enzymes involved in cellular respiration and in redox reactions in both plants and animals.

Video journalist Brady Haran is the man with the camera and the University of Nottingham is the place with the scientists. You can follow Brady on twitter @periodicvideos and the University of Nottingham on twitter @UniNottingham

You've already met these elements:

Manganese: Mn, atomic number 25
Chromium: Cr, atomic number 24
Vanadium: V, atomic number 23
Titanium: Ti, atomic number 22
Scandium: Sc, atomic number 21
Calcium: Ca, atomic number 20
Potassium: K, atomic number 19
Argon: Ar, atomic number 18
Chlorine: Cl, atomic number 17
Sulfur: S, atomic number 16
Phosphorus: P, atomic number 15
Silicon: Si, atomic number 14
Aluminium: Al, atomic number 13
Magnesium: Mg, atomic number 12
Sodium: Na, atomic number 11
Neon: Ne, atomic number 10
Fluorine: F, atomic number 9
Oxygen: O, atomic number 8
Nitrogen: N, atomic number 7
Carbon: C, atomic number 6
Boron: B, atomic number 5
Beryllium: Be, atomic number 4
Lithium: Li, atomic number 3
Helium: He, atomic number 2
Hydrogen: H, atomic number 1

Here's a new-to-you interactive Periodic Table of the Elements that is fun to play with!


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