Ferric oxide

Properties

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)
SI units were used where possible. Unless otherwise stated, standard conditions were used. Disclaimer and references

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.

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.

See also: rust