In nature, iron is found only in the form of ore, that is, with an admixture of minerals. So get cast-iron blanks for rails, fences, bathtubs, radiators and even pans. But cast iron is fragile, it can crack from a strong blow.
Steel
150 years ago, the open-hearth furnace was invented, where cast iron is again melted, enriched with special additives and steel is obtained - the metal is more durable than cast iron, and at the same time elastic. Many different things are made from it.
Rust
If an iron object is constantly in contact with water or moist air, rust corrodes it. Scientists have figured out how to melt stainless steel so that it does not deteriorate from time to time and always shines. For example, pots and cutlery are made from stainless steel.
Interesting fact: So that objects made of iron do not rust, they are coated with varnish or special red paint - minium, and so that the cast-iron bath does not rust, it is coated with enamel, and steel products (for example, the car body) with another metal - zinc.
Gold is also metal, like iron. But, unlike iron, it does not mix with minerals, but lies in small pieces in the mountains or in river beds. Such pieces of pure gold are called nuggets.
From a pin to an airplane
It is impossible to list how many different things are made of iron: from the smallest to the largest. Cars and buses, supports for semaphores, road signs, doors, tram rails, trains, ships and aircraft engines are made from cast iron and steel. Iron is part of reinforced concrete, from which bridges and skyscrapers are built.
Interesting fact:Primitive people did not know iron.To protect themselves from wild animals and hunt them, a heavy or pointed stone was tied to a thick stick. The result was a mace or a spear.
