Siderites

Iron is a relatively abundant element in the universe. It is found in the sun and many types of stars in considerable quantity. Its nuclei are very stable. Iron is a principal component of a meteorite class known as siderites and is a minor constituent of the other two meteorite classes. The core of the earth — 2150 miles in radius — is thought to be largely composed of iron with about 10 percent occluded hydrogen. The metal is the fourth most abundant element, by weight that makes up the crust of the earth. 

Nickel is found as a constitutent in most meteorites and often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing a meteorite from other minerals. Iron meteorites, or siderites, may contain iron alloyed with from 5 percent to nearly 20 percent nickel. Nickel is obtained commercially from pentlandite and pyrrhotite of the Sudbury region of Ontario, a district that produces about 30 percent of the world s supply of nicke. 

Sellaite, see Magnesium fluoride Senarmontite, see Antimony(III) oxide Siderite, see Iron(II) carbonate Siderotil, see Iron(II) sulfate 5-water Silica, see Silicon dioxide Silicotungstic acid, see Silicon oxide—tungsten oxide—water (1/12/26)... 

Minerals. Iron-bearing minerals are numerous and are present in most soils and rocks. However only a few minerals are important sources of iron and thus called ores. Table 2 shows the principle iron-bearing minerals. Hematite is the most plentiful iron mineral mined, followed by magnetite, goethite, siderite, ilmenite, and pyrite. Siderite is unimportant in the United States, but is an important source of iron in Europe. Tlmenite is normally mined for titania with iron as a by-product. Pyrite is roasted to recover sulfur in the form of sulfur dioxide, leaving iron oxide as a by-product. 

Parameter Hematite Magnetite Goethite Siderite Ilmenite Pyrite... 

Calcite and siderite (27) are used occasionally because of their solubiUty in hydrochloric acid which offers a method of removing mud filter cake deposited on productive formations. Calcite and siderite are used most frequently in workover or completion fluids when a nondamaging fluid is required, ie, one that can be removed by acidising at a later time. 

Occurrence and Recovery. Rhenium is one of the least abundant of the naturally occurring elements. Various estimates of its abundance in Earth s cmst have been made. The most widely quoted figure is 0.027 atoms pet 10 atoms of silicon (0.05 ppm by wt) (3). However, this number, based on analyses for the most common rocks, ie, granites and basalts, has a high uncertainty. The abundance of rhenium in stony meteorites has been found to be approximately the same value. An average abundance in siderites is 0.5 ppm. In lunar materials, Re, when compared to Re, appears to be enriched by 1.4% to as much as 29%, relative to the terrestrial abundance. This may result from a nuclear reaction sequence beginning with neutron capture by tungsten-186, followed by p-decay of of a half-hfe of 24 h (4) (see Extraterrestrial materials). 

The hydroxyl ions migrate inward, attracted by the positive charge that is produced by the ferrous ion generated near the corroding surface (Fig. 3.4). Other anions such as carbonate, chloride, and sulfate also concentrate beneath the shell. Carbonate may react with ferrous ions to form siderite (FeCOa) as in Reaction 3.4 (Fig. 3.7) ... 

Figure 3.7 Siderite (FeCOs) nodules inside a tubercle revealed by breaking open the magnetite shell. (Courtesy of National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Corrosion 89 Paper No. 197 by H. M. Herro.)...

The nuclei of iron are especially stable, giving it a comparatively high cosmic abundance (Chap. 1, p. 11), and it is thought to be the main constituent of the earth s core (which has a radius of approximately 3500 km, i.e. 2150 miles) as well as being the major component of siderite meteorites. About 0.5% of the lunar soil is now known to be metallic iron and, since on average this soil is 10 m deep, there must be 10 tonnes of iron on the moon s surface. In the earth s crustal rocks (6.2%, i.e. 62000ppm) it is the fourth most abundant element (after oxygen, silicon and aluminium) and the second most abundant metal. It is also widely distributed. 

Eisenstein, m. ironstone, iron ore. — spatiger —, spathic iron ore, siderite. 

Spat-eisen, n., -eisenstein, m. spathic iron ore, sparry iron, siderite. 

Spharo-kn stall, m. spherical crystal, sphero-crystal. -siderit, n. spherosiderite. Sphanilith, m. spherulite. 

Stahl-erz, n, steel ore, specif, siderite. -erzeu-gung, /. steel production, stahlfarbig, a. steel-colored. 

Weiss-erde, /, white earth, terra alba, specif, white clay, -erz, n. arsenopjo-ite siderite krennerite an impure marcasite. -farbe,/. white color, white pigment,... 

Carbon dioxide was once thought essential for the rusting of ferrous metals (viz. the carbonic acid theory of rusting) but is now considered of relatively minor importance . However, basic zinc carbonate is frequently found in the corrosion products of zinc and small amounts of siderite (FeCOs) are found in ferrous rusts. 

Siderite FeCo3 Formed in LP boilers with high alkalinity BW. 

Beyond these two columns, the removal of all valence electrons is usually not energetically possible. For example, iron has eight valence electrons but forms only two stable cations, Fe and Fe. Compounds of iron containing these ions are abundant in the Earth s crust. Pyrite (FeS2) and iron(II) carbonate (FeC03, or siderite) are examples of Fe salts. Iron(IIt) oxide (Fc2 O3, or hematite) can be viewed as a network of Fe cations and O anions. One of the most abundant iron ores, magnetite, has the chemical formula FC3 O4 and contains a 2 1 ratio of Fe and Fe cations. The formula of magnetite can also be written as FeO FC2 O3 to emphasize the presence of two different cations. 

Nearly all transition metals are oxidized readily, so most ores are compounds in which the metals have positive oxidation numbers. Examples include oxides (Ti02, mtile Fc2 O3, hematite C112 O, cuprite), sulfides (ZnS, sphalerite M0S2, molybdenite), phosphates (CeP04, monazite YPO4, xenotime both found mixed with other rare earth metal phosphates), and carbonates (FeC03, siderite). Other minerals contain oxoanions (MnW04, wolframite) and even more complex stmctures such as camotite, K2 (002)2 ( 4)2 2 O ... 

Magnetite is common in Pb-Zn-Mn and Cu deposits but has not been reported in Au-Ag deposits. It commonly coexists with other iron minerals such as hematite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, siderite, and chlorite and also occurs in both the main stage of sulfide mineralization and in the late stage of mineralization. 

---