Difference between Hematite and Magnetite
What are Iron ores?
Iron makes up a large portion of both the Earth's outer and inner cores, making it the most prevalent element on Earth by mass, just ahead of oxygen (32.1% and 30.1%, respectively).
Because of meteorite deposition, metallic iron is incredibly rare in the Earth's crust. Contrarily, iron ores are among the most common in the crust of the Earth, but to extract useful metal from them, furnaces must be able to reach 1,500 °C or greater, which is about 500 °C higher than the temperature needed to melt copper.
Heavy metal iron
Iron stands out as the heaviest element that can be produced without the need for a supernova or other catastrophic event since it is the last element to be created by stellar nucleosynthesis. Because of its magnetic field, iron is a metal that has been removed.
Iron's physical attributes include:
- It rusts in humid air but not in dry air.
- It is easily dissolved in weak acids.
- At room temperature, this metal is in the ferrite or a-form.
- At 910°C, it transforms into a-iron, which has a much softer natural state.
- Both its melting and boiling points are exceptionally high.
- It is magnetic by nature as it is a metal.
Uses for iron include:
- It is employed in the manufacture of steel as well as in the construction of items like and reinforced concrete.
- Iron is combined with additions like nickel, chromium, vanadium, tungsten, and manganese to create alloy steels, which include carbon steels.
- These are used to make rifle barrels, bicycle chains, power pylons, cutting tools, and bridges.
- 3-5% of cast iron contains carbon. It is employed in the creation of pumps, valves, and pipes.
- Iron catalysts are used in the Haber process to create ammonia.
- Magnets can be made from this metal, as well as its alloys and compounds.
The Iron Ores
A naturally occurring deposit (called a mineral deposit) has an abnormally high concentration of a particular mineral in it. A mineral deposit known as an ore contains a metal that can be mined using current scientific techniques.
Fe3O4 is the form of iron that makes up magnetite. Hematite is a mineral that contains iron in the form of Fe2O3. Hematite and magnetite are fundamentally different from one another because hematite is paramagnetic, and magnetite is ferromagnetic.
Magnetite
An iron ore called magnetite includes iron in the form of Fe3O4 Magnetite particles can behave as tiny magnets when magnetised because they are ferromagnetic or attracted to an external magnetic field.Magnetite is ferromagnetic because it contains both Fe+2 and Fe+3 ions, both of which have several unpaired electrons.Unpaired electrons are what give minerals their magnetic characteristics Low-intensity magnetic separation can be used to separate magnetite from a mixture because magnetite particles are pulled to magnetic fields as low as 0.04 Tesla.Black to grey mineral is called magnetite. The streak of magnetite is dark. When a mineral is roughly powdered, its streak is its colour. Transparent minerals include magnetite (not transparent). Sedimentary rocks are where it is mostly found. However, beach sand can occasionally contain significant amounts of it.
Pig iron or sponge iron is the type of iron that is most extracted from magnetite. Steel is made from the iron that is produced. As a catalyst, magnetite is also employed. It is a catalyst used in the large-scale industrial production of ammonia. Pig iron or sponge iron is the type of iron that is most extracted from magnetite. Steel is made from the iron that is produced. As a catalyst, magnetite is also employed. It serves as the catalyst in the large-scale industrial manufacture of ammonia.
Hematite
Hematite is a type of iron ore that contains iron in the form of Fe2O3. It is an important site for iron extraction.A paramagnetic mineral is hematite. It can therefore be pulled to an outside magnetic field. It is common to find hematite in rocks and soil.
Unpaired electrons are the reason why hematite is magnetic. Due to the single ferric ion (Fe+3) being present, it has a paramagnetic property. Hematite can therefore be extracted from a mixture using high-intensity magnetic separation techniques that employ magnetic fields with an intensity range of 0.02-4.0 Tesla. A metallic-gray mineral, hematite, on the other hand, is coloured red to reddish brown. It is an enigmatic material.