Iron(II,III) oxide

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ironiiiii-oxide

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the chemical formula?Fe3O4
2. What is the crystal structure?Inverse spinel ferrite structure
3. Why is iron(II,III) oxide magnetic?Its iron atoms are arranged so that most of their tiny magnets point in the same direction, creating a net magnetic field.
4. Where does iron(II,III) oxide come from?It can be found naturally as the mineral magnetite, or it can be made in laboratories by mixing iron salts and heating them.

Spinel Structure: A common crystal structure type, often adopted by mixed metal oxides, with specific tetrahedral and octahedral cation sites.
Mixed-Valence Compound: A chemical compound containing the same element in two or more different oxidation states.
Heterogeneous Catalyst: A catalyst that exists in a different phase (e.g., solid) from the reactants (e.g., gas or liquid) it catalyzes.