What is Iron(II,III) oxide?
'''Iron(II,III) oxide''' is one of the [[iron oxide]]s, [[chemical compound]]s made of [[iron]] and [[oxygen]]. It is found in nature as the [[mineral]] '''magnetite'''. It can be a black powder or [[wikt:brittle|brittle]] black solid. Magnetite [[mine|mining]] is one of the world's main sources of [[iron]]. A reaction with chemicals like [[water]] or [[oxygen]] makes it change into red [[iron(III) oxide]] over time. Magnetite is attracted to [[magnet]]s, and can be made into a permanent magnet. Some magnetite is naturally magnetic, and is called '''lodestone'''. The first magnets found by people were made of magnetite, and magnetism is named after it. Though people made better materials like [[alnico]] to make stronger magnets, magnetite is still used in a lot of magnets and other [[electronics]] because it is cheap. The black color of old [[cassette tape]]s and [[floppy disk]]s is because of a thin layer of magnetite powder on the [[plastic]] tape used to store information. == Chemistry == The chemical name iron(II,III) oxide refers to two different kinds of [[iron]] in the compound. Iron is a [[transition metal]], so it has multiple different [[oxidation state]]s depending on the number of missing [[electron]]s around the [[atomic nucleus|nucleus]]. Iron(II,III) oxide is a mixture of iron in its +2 (missing two electrons) and +3 (missing three electrons) states: one third of the iron is in the +2 state, and two thirds are in the +3 state. The chemical formula is {{chem2|Fe3O4}}, meaning that in pure magnetite, there are three iron atoms for every four oxygen atoms. To better show the two different oxidation states of the iron, the formula is also sometimes written as {{chem2|FeO*Fe2O3}} or {{chem2|Fe(2+)Fe(3+)2O4}}. == Related pages == * [[Iron(II) oxide]] * [[Iron(III) oxide]], rust * [[Iron oxide]] * [[Rust]] * [[Iron(II) hydroxide]] {{chem-stub}} [[Category:Minerals]] [[Category:Iron compounds]] [[Category:Oxides]]