Iron is element number 26, a metal with the symbol Fe. In our bodies, it forms part of hemoglobin, found in our red blood cells.
Atomic number 2655.85
FeIron鉄 (tetsu)
Symbol
Fe
Atomic weight
55.85
Place in the table
Period 4 · Group 8
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Iron in the body
An adult body contains 3–4 g of iron in all. About 70% of it is in the hemoglobin inside red blood cells.
Too little iron can cause anemia and can weaken our ability to move and to think.
Fe is Latin for iron
The symbol Fe comes from ferrum, Latin for iron, which looks nothing like the English word. Iron has been known since ancient times.
The story of tatara, the traditional Japanese way of making iron from iron sand and charcoal, is in Terakoya’s Edo Science room.
Think about it
Q1How many one-yen coins (1 g each) weigh the same as 3–4 g of iron?
Q2Test which things stick to a magnet. What pattern do you find?
Q3How could you collect iron from sand?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — When a symbol does not match the English name, it often comes from the Latin name. Iron (Fe), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), sodium (Na) and potassium (K) are examples.