
Iron(III) oxide
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Names | |
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IUPAC name
Iron(III) oxide | |
Other names | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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ChEBI | |
ChemSpider |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.013.790 ![]() |
EC Number |
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E number | E172(ii) (colours) |
11092 | |
KEGG |
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PubChem CID |
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RTECS number |
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UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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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 | |
Refractive index (nD) |
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] | |
Heat capacity (C) |
103.9 J/mol·K[7] |
Std molar entropy (S⦵298) |
87.4 J/mol·K[7] |
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) |
−824.2 kJ/mol[7] |
Gibbs free energy (ΔfG⦵) |
−742.2 kJ/mol[7] |
Hazards | |
GHS labelling: | |
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Warning | |
H315, H319, H335[8] | |
P261, P305+P351+P338[8] | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Threshold limit value (TLV) |
5 mg/m3[1] (TWA) |
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
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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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]