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Iron(III) oxide

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Quick facts: Names, Identifiers, Properties, Structure, Th...
Iron(III) oxide
Haematite unit cell
  Fe   O
Sample of iron(III) oxide
Pourbaix Diagram of aqueous Iron
Names
IUPAC name
Iron(III) oxide
Other names
ferric oxide, haematite, ferric iron, red iron oxide, rouge, maghemite, colcothar, iron sesquioxide, rust, ochre
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.013.790 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 215-168-2
E number E172(ii) (colours)
11092
KEGG
RTECS number
  • NO7400000
UNII
  • InChI=1S/2Fe.3O checkY[inchi]
    Key: JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY[inchi]
  • InChI=1/2Fe.3O/rFe2O3/c3-1-4-2(3)5-1
    Key: JEIPFZHSYJVQDO-ZVGCCQCPAC
  • O1[Fe]2O[Fe]1O2
Properties
Fe2O3
Molar mass 159.687 g·mol−1
Appearance Red-brown solid
Odor Odorless
Density 5.25 g/cm3[1]
Melting point 1,539 °C (2,802 °F; 1,812 K)[1]
decomposes
105 °C (221 °F; 378 K)
β-dihydrate, decomposes
150 °C (302 °F; 423 K)
β-monohydrate, decomposes
50 °C (122 °F; 323 K)
α-dihydrate, decomposes
92 °C (198 °F; 365 K)
α-monohydrate, decomposes[2]
Insoluble
Solubility Soluble in diluted acids,[1] barely soluble in sugar solution[3]
Trihydrate slightly soluble in aq. tartaric acid, citric acid, CH3COOH[2]
+3586.0x10−6 cm3/mol
n1 = 2.91, n2 = 3.19 (α, hematite)[4]
Structure
Rhombohedral, hR30 (α-form)[5]
Cubic bixbyite, cI80 (β-form)
Cubic spinel (γ-form)
Orthorhombic (ε-form)[6]
R3c, No. 161 (α-form)[5]
Ia3, No. 206 (β-form)
Pna21, No. 33 (ε-form)[6]
3m (α-form)[5]
2/m 3 (β-form)
mm2 (ε-form)[6]
Octahedral (Fe3+, α-form, β-form)[5]
Thermochemistry[7]
103.9 J/mol·K[7]
87.4 J/mol·K[7]
−824.2 kJ/mol[7]
−742.2 kJ/mol[7]
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS07: Exclamation mark[8]
Warning
H315, H319, H335[8]
P261, P305+P351+P338[8]
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
5 mg/m3[1] (TWA)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
10 g/kg (rats, oral)[9]
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
TWA 10 mg/m3[10]
REL (Recommended)
TWA 5 mg/m3[10]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
2500 mg/m3[10]
Related compounds
Other anions
Iron(III) fluoride
Other cations
Manganese(III) oxide
Cobalt(III) oxide
Related iron oxides
Iron(II) oxide
Iron(II,III) oxide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Vial with iron(III) oxide
Iron(III) oxide in a vial

Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Fe2O3. It is one of the three main oxides of iron, the other two being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare; and iron(II,III) oxide (Fe3O4), which also occurs naturally as the mineral magnetite. As the mineral known as hematite, Fe2O3 is the main source of iron for the steel industry. Fe2O3 is readily attacked by acids. Iron(III) oxide is often called rust, and to some extent this label is useful, because rust shares several properties and has a similar composition; however, in chemistry, rust is considered an ill-defined material, described as Hydrous ferric oxide.[11]