Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe. It is an element in group 8 and period 4, which is also known as transition metals. Iron is one of the most common metals found on Earth, forming the outer and inner core of the Earth. In addition, iron is very reactive metal, as soon as it reacts with oxygen and moist air it forms iron oxide which is also known as rust. In the past iron had many uses in the agricultural and industrial sectors, for instance, farming tools were made out iron and power looms were also made out of iron. These different tools and mechanisms had a great impact on the society, both negative and positive.
Iron is an excellent and versatile material used for various jobs, a few of them being construction, agriculture and industry work. It is used in many different sectors in work because it consists of the physical properties such as malleability, ductility and a very high tensile strength (Iron). Due to the amount of strength it has, it can be used for farming tools, in order to exploit through the tough soils. In addition, it can also be used to build large mechanisms such as power looms. Furthermore, iron is a very reactive metal. It rapidly combines with oxygen in moist air. The product of this reaction is called iron oxide which is also known as rust (“IRON.”). In addition, iron reacts with both hot water and steam in order to produce hydrogen gas. Iron can be found all over the world, however, normally it is found underground in large beds, not as iron but as iron ore (a rock or mineral from which iron is extracted from). Due to the fact that it’s close to the earth’s surface many people mine a hole usually two kilometres in width and three kilometres deep. Once the iron ore is mined out of the surface it is then taken away to processing plants where there are multiple blast furnaces in order to smelt the iron ore into iron (eHow.). Iron ore (needs to consist at least 20 percent iron) consist of iron with other elements, mostly oxygen. In the process of smelting, the iron ore is heated with carbon (“GCSE Bitesize: Making Iron.”). The carbon combines with oxygen leaving us with iron.
Throughout history iron was used for several different things, in different fields. For instance, farming tools were invented by Jethro Woods in 1819 (“Jethro Wood.”). Tools such as sickles and plough tips made the process more efficient and allowed farmers to exploit through tougher soils. They were also able to try for new crops and spend more time on other activities. Before the iron plough was invented people used to use a wooden plough, which was held together with metal nuts and bolts (Ellis, Ian.). In addition, most of the soil got stuck to the wood, the job would need at least three men and oxen. This was because one of the men had to direct the oxen, the other to steer the plough and the third to clear the dirt of the plough (Plowing in the Past). Furthermore, another invention that changed people’s lives was Robert’s loom which was introduced by Richard Robert in 1830 (“Roberts Loom.”). The loom was easily adjustable and reliable due to which it was widely used in the Lancashire cotton industry (“Roberts Loom.”). Before the power loom was invented, people used to loom by hand. This was a hassle for many, because they weren’t skilled enough to do this. Even for several skilled workers looming was a long process. However, the Robert’s looms made it more efficient for people to finish their job quicker and give them more time for leisure activities. A few common aspects in both of these scenarios are that after iron came into use, there was less effort and stress put into the jobs. Due to the which people were easily able to spend more time on other activities such as sewing, or making salt. In addition, due to the iron mechanisms, work was done much faster allowing them to work twice or thrice as much each day. This then results in surplus product which could be sold in the market, meaning that the manufacturer would get more money to spend on other luxuries.
As an impact iron changed many people’s lives, as well as the society. This is said because after the discovery of iron many different types of mechanisms were constructed. The predecessors of iron were copper and lead (“The History of Metals) Copper had the physical properties of malleability and ductility due to which it was used for coin making and for kitchen utensils (Bell, Terence.). However, due to its softness it was ineffective to use for industrial mechanisms as well as farming tools or weapons. On the other hand, lead is also soft and malleable. Due to which it was used for making water pipes and lining baths. This is the reason why iron is more efficient for industrial uses and for farming tools (“Lead in History.”). This impacted the society in many ways, one being that it was very efficient considering the price of the metal which was relatively cheaper comparative to other metals. In addition, due to the discovery of the metals there have been many inventions which took place. These inventions aloud there to be an increase in textile and food production. Economically, the drawbacks of this metal are that it forms rust very quickly, as iron is a very reactive metal. When iron reacts with oxygen in moist air it creates iron oxide or rust. In addition, iron was a heavy-duty metal meaning that it could be hard for the farmers to exploit it through the soils, which isn’t very effective.
Finally, iron had several benefits and limitations on the society and people's lives. One of the benefits being that many people in the society had more time to spend on leisure activities such as sewing or making salt, rather than working in the farms all day. This is due to the fact that iron ploughs were strong enough in order to exploit through the soil without much of a hassle as there was before iron tools. In addition, many people used to spend their time weaving or looming by hand, which wasn't very efficient because there would be a lot of time that went into weaving. In addition, there were several unskilled weavers who had a hard time in weaving their own textile. However, after the Robert’s loom was invented it made it easier for people to receive textile without working too hard. This has also proven that iron is a better metal for use in agriculture and industry work than its predecessors such as copper and lead which were more soft and malleable metals.