Name       : Iron 
Symbol     : Fe
Atomic #   : 26
Atom weight: 55.847
Melting P. : 1535
Boiling P. : 2750
Oxidation  : +2, +3
Pronounced : EYE-ern
From       : Name from Anglo-Saxon, iron; Symbol from Latin ferrum, iron
Identified : Identified and used since prehistoric times
Appearance : Malleable, ductile, silvery-white metal
Note       : The fourth most abundant element in earth's crust
            
[Properties]

  Iron is generally described as a moderately heavy, hard, malleable, and
ductile metal. In its pure form, it has a silvery-white color. One of the
most distinctive features is its ability to take and retain a magnetic
field. Iron is one of the Group-VII transition metals. These metals have
two incomplete electron shells.
  Iron has four allotropic forms. The alpha form is the most familiar
because it is the one that exists at room temperature. As the temperature
rises above 770 degrees, the beta form emerges. The most critical feature
of this particular transition is that the iron loses its magnetic
properties. Transitions to the gamma and delta forms take places at 928
and 1530 degrees, respectively.
