Final answer:
Yes, iron and oxygen can react to form both iron oxide (Fe2O3) and iron oxide-hydroxide (Fe(OH)3). Iron oxide is a compound formed by ionic bonds between metal iron atoms and nonmetal oxygen atoms. It is represented as a molecule due to its multiple bonded atoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer is Yes. Iron can react with oxygen to form various compounds, including Fe2O3 and Fe(OH)3. Iron oxide, commonly known as rust, is a compound made of iron and oxygen, where the relative proportion of atoms is 2 iron atoms to 3 oxygen atoms.
The iron and oxygen atoms in iron oxide are held together by ionic bonds due to the transfer of electrons from the metal to the nonmetal.
Iron oxide is formed by the combination of metal atoms (iron) and nonmetal atoms (oxygen). A single particle of iron oxide would be considered a molecule since it consists of more than one atom bonded together.
When iron reacts with water (steam), it can form iron oxide and hydrogen gas according to the reaction 3 Fe(s) + 4H2O(g) → Fe3O4 (s) + 4H2 (g).
Additionally, the oxidation of iron by oxygen in the presence of water can lead to hydrated iron(III) oxide or rust, which is represented by Fe2O3·xH2O.
Iron can have more than one oxidation number, as in FeO where iron has an oxidation number of +2.
Oxidation and reduction reactions are always coupled, as seen in the equation 2Fe2O3(s) + 3C(s) → 4Fe(s) + 3CO2(g), where iron oxide is being reduced to iron, while carbon is oxidized to carbon dioxide.