In chemistry, the adjective Ferrous indicates a

compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...

that contains iron(II), meaning iron in its +2 oxidation state, possibly as the

divalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules. Description The combining capacity, or affinity of an ...

cation An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

Fe²⁺. It is opposed to "

ferric In chemistry, iron(III) refers to the element iron in its +3 oxidation state. In ionic compounds (salts), such an atom may occur as a separate cation (positive ion) denoted by Fe3+. The adjective ferric or the prefix ferri- is often used to sp ...

" or

iron(III) In chemistry, iron(III) refers to the element iron in its +3 oxidation state. In ionic compounds (salts), such an atom may occur as a separate cation (positive ion) denoted by Fe3+. The adjective ferric or the prefix ferri- is often used to sp ...

, meaning iron in its +3 oxidation state, such as the

trivalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules. Description The combining capacity, or affinity of an ...

cation Fe³⁺.ferrous
entry in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Accessed on 2008-04-19. This usage has been largely replaced by the

IUPAC The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

nomenclature, which calls for the oxidation state being indicated by Roman numerals in parentheses, such as

iron(II) oxide Iron(II) oxide or ferrous oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula FeO. Its mineral form is known as wüstite. One of several iron oxides, it is a black-colored powder that is sometimes confused with rust, the latter of which consists of ...

for ferrous oxide (FeO), iron(III) oxide for

ferric oxide 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 naturall ...

(Fe₂O₃), and iron(II,III) oxide for the oxide that contains both forms of iron. Pourbaix Diagram of Iron

Outside chemistry, "ferrous" means generally "containing iron". The word is derived from the Latin word ' ("iron"). Ferrous metals include steel and pig iron (with a carbon content of a few percent) and

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

s of iron with other metals (such as stainless steel). " Non-ferrous" is used to describe

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typica ...

s and alloys that do not contain an appreciable amount of iron.non-ferrous
entry in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Accessed on 2008-04-19. The term "ferrous" is usually applied only to

s and

s. The adjective ferruginous is used instead to refer to non-metallic substances that contain iron, such as "ferruginous water"; or to an orangish-brown color resembling that of

rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

.ferruginous
entry in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Accessed on 2019-03-08.

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References

{{reflist, 30em Iron

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See also

References