In chemistry and physics, the iron group refers to elements that are in some way related to iron; mostly in period (row) 4 of the periodic table. The term has different meanings in different contexts.
In chemistry, the term is largely obsolete, but it often means iron, cobalt, and nickel, also called the iron triad;[1] or, sometimes, other elements that resemble iron in some chemical aspects.
In astrophysics and nuclear physics, the term is still quite common, and it typically means those three plus chromium and manganese—five elements that are exceptionally abundant, both on Earth and elsewhere in the universe, compared to their neighbors in the periodic table. Titanium and vanadium are also produced in Type Ia supernovae.[2]
- ^ M. Green, ed. (2002): Organometallic Chemistry, volume 10, page 283. Royal Society of Chemistry; 430 pages, ISBN 9780854043330
- ^ Bravo, E. (2013). "Insights into thermonuclear supernovae from the incomplete Si-burning process". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 550: A24. arXiv:1212.2410. Bibcode:2013A&A...550A..24B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220309. S2CID 49331289.