GROUP 8: IRON GROUP

Iron Group Overview

Also known as: Iron family

Group Members: Iron (Fe), Ruthenium (Ru), Osmium (Os), Hassium (Hs)

Common Properties: All are transition metals, form +2 and +3 oxidation states, ferromagnetic properties, catalytic activity

Fe

Iron

Magnetic
Atomic Number 26
Atomic Mass 55.85 u
Electron Config [Ar] 3d⁶ 4s²
Common Ions Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺
Melting Point 1538°C
Density 7.87 g/cm³
Iron is the most abundant element on Earth by mass, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core!

Properties: Magnetic, ductile, silver-gray, essential for life

Applications: Steel production, construction, magnets, hemoglobin in blood

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Ru

Ruthenium

Rare
Atomic Number 44
Atomic Mass 101.07 u
Electron Config [Kr] 4d⁷ 5s¹
Common Ions Ru³⁺, Ru⁴⁺
Melting Point 2334°C
Density 12.45 g/cm³
Ruthenium is one of the rarest metals on Earth and is part of the platinum group!

Properties: Hard, white, corrosion-resistant, rare

Applications: Electronics, catalysts, solar cells, wear-resistant electrical contacts

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Os

Osmium

Densest
Atomic Number 76
Atomic Mass 190.23 u
Electron Config [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁶ 6s²
Common Ions Os⁴⁺, Os⁸⁺
Melting Point 3033°C
Density 22.59 g/cm³
Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element - twice as dense as lead!

Properties: Densest natural element, hard, blue-gray, brittle

Applications: Fountain pen tips, electrical contacts, instrument pivots, alloys

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Hs

Hassium

Synthetic
Atomic Number 108
Atomic Mass 277 u
Electron Config [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁶ 7s²
Common Ions Hs⁴⁺, Hs⁸⁺
Half-life ~10 seconds
Stability Synthetic
Hassium is named after the German state of Hesse, where it was first synthesized!

Properties: Synthetic radioactive metal, extremely short-lived

Applications: Scientific research only

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