Ferric oxide
It is often used in magnetic storage, for example in the magnetic layer of floppy disks. These consist of a thin sheet of mylar plastic, coated with ferric oxide. The particles can be magnetised to represent binary data. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition also uses ferric oxide compounds, suspended in an ink which can be read by special scanning hardware.
Ferric oxide is one of several oxide compounds of iron, and is most notable for its ferromagnetic properties. It is sometimes known as gamma ferric oxide or synthetic maghemite, and its chemical formula is Fe2O3. Its molecular mass is 159.70 g mol-1, it melts at 1565 degrees Celsius, and has a density of 5.24 g cm-3.
General
Name
Iron (III) oxide
Chemical formula
Fe2O3
Appearance
Red powder
Physical
Formula weight
159.7 amu
Melting point
1838 K (1565 °C)
Density
5.2 ×103 kg/m3
Crystal structure
Corundum
Solubility
insoluble
Thermochemistry
ΔfH0liquid
? kJ/mol
ΔfH0solid
-824 kJ/mol
S0liquid, 1 bar
? J/mol·K
S0solid
87 J/mol·K
Safety
Ingestion
Dangerous, iron poisoning may result.
Inhalation
Iron poisoning, pulmonary edema may result.
Skin
Contact with molten iron ore can cause iron poisoning.
Eyes
May cause irritation.
More info
Hazardous Chemical Database (http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/erd/chemicals/9/8752.html)
SI units were used where possible. Unless otherwise stated, standard conditions were used.