Difference Between Iron and Aluminum

The key difference between iron and aluminum is that the iron is heavier and has higher melting point than aluminum.

The density of iron is 7.87 g/cm3 near room temperature while the density of aluminum is 2.70 g/cm3 near room temperature. Therefore,  this difference in densities describes that iron is heavier than aluminum. However, both are metals and very important in different industrial applications.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Iron
3. What is Aluminum
4. Side by Side Comparison – Iron vs Aluminum in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Iron?

Iron is a chemical element having the atomic number 26 and the chemical symbol Fe. It is a metal in the first transition series. When considering the abundance, it is the most abundant metal on earth by means of mass. Thus, it forms most of the parts of the outer and inner core of the earth.

Figure 01: Appearance of Iron

Some important chemical information about this metal is as follows:

• Atomic number = 26
• Standard atomic weight = 55.84
• Group = 8
• Period = 4
• Block = d block
• Electron configuration = [Ar]3d64s2
• Melting point = 1538 °C
• Boiling point = 2862 °C
• Oxidation states = −2 to +7 (most common are +2 and +3)

There are many uses of iron as metal as well as different iron-containing chemical compounds. We use it as the metal due to its low cost and high strength. Since pure iron is soft, we combine this metal with other metal and nonmetal chemical elements in order to form alloys with enhanced properties. For example, steel. Moreover, we use iron-containing compounds as catalysts, in water purification and sewage treatment, as precursors to other iron compounds, etc.

What is Aluminum?

Aluminum is a chemical element having the atomic number 13, and the chemical symbol is Al. It is a silvery-white, shiny metal that resembles iron. Also, when considering its abundance, it is the 3rd most abundant metal on earth’s crust. Moreover, this metal has a wide range of applications due to its lightweight and the corrosion resistance through passivation.

Figure 02: Appearance of Aluminum

Some important chemical information about this metal is as follows:

• Atomic number = 13
• Standard atomic weight = 27
• Group = 13
• Period = 3
• Block = p block
• Electron configuration = [Ne]3s23p1
• Melting point = 660.32 °C
• Boiling point = 2470 °C
• Oxidation states = +3 is the stable oxidation state

As a metal, aluminum is the most common metal and is a non-ferrous metal. Mainly, we use this material for alloying purposes. Also, due to the low density of aluminum, it is common in producing vehicles, aircraft, etc. Since it is non-toxic, we can use aluminum foils in packaging purposes. Due to the low cost and high conductivity, this metal is common in electrical applications as well.

What is the Difference Between Iron and Aluminum?

Iron is a chemical element having the atomic number 26 and the chemical symbol Fe whereas aluminum is a chemical element having the atomic number 13 and the chemical symbol is Al. The key difference between iron and aluminum is that the iron is heavier than aluminum. Mainly, this is because the density of iron is 7.87 g/cm3 near room temperature while the density of aluminum is 2.70 g/cm3 near room temperature. Moreover, aluminum has a low melting point compared to iron.

The below infographic describes the difference between iron and aluminum in more detail.

Summary – Iron vs Aluminum

In summary, iron and aluminum have a closely related appearance, and they are useful as metal or as chemical compounds. However, there are several differences between iron and aluminum in their chemical and physical properties. The key difference between iron and aluminum is that iron is heavier than aluminum.

Reference:

1. “Iron.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Oct. 2018. Available here  
2. “Aluminium.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2018. Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.”Iron electrolytic and 1cm3 cube”By Alchemist-hp – Own work, (FAL) via Commons Wikimedia  
2.”Aluminium-4″By Unknown  (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia  

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