Iron

Introduction

Iron is the sixth most abundant element on earth. The chemical symbol of iron is “Fe”. The atomic number of iron is 26, and the atomic

weight is 55.84. Iron is mostly extracted from iron ores.

Iron in Biology Iron is essential to most life forms. Iron is an essential component in oxygen

transportation, cell growth and differentiation.

Excess iron can be toxic.

Recommended Dietary Allowances for Iron for Infants (7 to 12 months), Children, and Adults

Age Males (mg/day) Females (mg/day)

7 to 12 months 11 11

1 to 3 years 7 7

4 to 8 years 10 10

9 to 13 years 8 8

14 to 18 years 11 15

19 to 50 years 8 18

51+ years 8 8

Dietary Sources Foods that contain iron are

1. Fish

2. Beans

3. Poultry

4. Oatmeal

5. Soybeans

6. Spinach and more…..

Experiment Obtain three different cereals in different ziploc bags. Empty out one cereal in a measuring cup. Use your pencil to crush the cereal. Use magnet to attract the iron particles from the

crushed cereal. Dust the iron particles off on a white sheet of paper. Count the number of iron particles and record that

number.

ExperimentDetermine the amount of iron in three different

cereals.

Name of Cereal Number of Iron Particles

Number of Iron Particles Graph

Number of Iron Particles

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 1 2 3

Name of Cereal

Num

ber o

f Iro

n

Resourceshttp://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/026/index.s7.html#sample11