Iron, like most metals, is not usually found in the Earth’s crust in an elemental state.Iron can be found in the crust only in combination with oxygen or sulfur. Typical iron-containing minerals include Fe2O3—the form of iron oxide found as the mineral hematite, and FeS2—pyrite (fool’s gold). Iron is extracted from ore by removing the oxygen by combining it with a preferred chemical partner such as carbon. This process, known as smelting, was first applied to metals with lower melting points. Copper melts at just over 1000 °C, while tin melts around 250 °C. Cast iron—iron alloyed with greater than 1.7% carbon—melts at around 1370 °C. All of these temperatures could be reached with ancient methods that have been used for at least 6000 years (since the Bronze Age). Since the oxidation rate itself increases rapidly beyond 800 °C, it is important that smelting take place in a low-oxygen environment. Unlike copper and tin, liquid iron dissolves carbon quite readily, so that smelting results in an alloy containing too much carbon to be called steel.
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