What I learned
❖ An alloy is a mixture obtained by melting and mixing two or more metals or a metal and another non-metallic element. Alloys have different properties from those of the individual metals or non-metallic elements that make them up. In most cases, they have more useful properties than pure constituents – for example, strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, electrical conductivity, etc. This makes them extremely valuable in many areas of industry and everyday life.
❖ They are heterogeneous mixtures, which depending on their structure and properties can be of different types.
❖ The most common element in alloys is iron as it is one of the most common elements in nature, readily available and cheap to extract. It has strength, ductility, flexibility, and toughness, is easily worked and can be combined with many other elements to create alloys with a wide range of properties.
❖ The most common alloys containing iron are steel, cast iron, and stainless steel.
❖ Iron plays a key role in vital processes in the human body. The most important of these is the formation of haemoglobin, which is found in red blood cells and carries oxygen from the lungs to all cells in the body. It is also involved in the formation of other proteins and enzymes important for metabolism, the immune system and DNA synthesis.
❖ It is necessary to take sufficient amounts of iron and to get it through natural sources – foods rich in iron. It’s crucial to understand that the body absorbs iron from animal sources more readily than from plant sources and that vitamin C in meals also helps the body absorb iron. It can also be taken as a food supplement if needed, but only after consulting with a doctor.
❖ Negative health effects might result from both an iron deficit and an increase in iron intake.
