iron vs nickel vs cobalt vs chromium

iron (chemical element) | nickel (chemical element) | cobalt (chemical element) | chromium (chemical element)

Periodic table location

Images

| atomic symbol | atomic number | short electronic configuration iron | Fe | 26 | [Ar]4s^23d^6 nickel | Ni | 28 | [Ar]4s^23d^8 cobalt | Co | 27 | [Ar]4s^23d^7 chromium | Cr | 24 | [Ar]4s^13d^5 | Aufbau diagram | block | group iron | 3d 4s | d | 8 nickel | 3d 4s | d | 10 cobalt | 3d 4s | d | 9 chromium | 3d 4s | d | 6 | period | atomic mass | half-life iron | 4 | 55.845 u | (stable) nickel | 4 | 58.6934 u | (stable) cobalt | 4 | 58.933194 u | (stable) chromium | 4 | 51.9961 u | (stable)

phase at STP | all | solid melting point | median | 1517 °C | highest | 1907 °C (chromium) | lowest | 1455 °C (nickel) boiling point | median | 2887 °C | highest | 2927 °C (cobalt) | lowest | 2671 °C (chromium) | distribution | molar heat of fusion | median | 16.7 kJ/mol | highest | 20.5 kJ/mol (chromium) | lowest | 13.8 kJ/mol (iron) | distribution | molar heat of vaporization | median | 361 kJ/mol | highest | 378 kJ/mol (nickel) | lowest | 339 kJ/mol (chromium) | distribution | specific heat at STP | median | 447 J/(kg K) | highest | 449 J/(kg K) (iron) | lowest | 421 J/(kg K) (cobalt) (properties at standard conditions)

density | median | 8.391 g/cm^3 | highest | 8.908 g/cm^3 (nickel) | lowest | 7.19 g/cm^3 (chromium) | distribution | liquid density | median | 7.365 g/cm^3 | highest | 7.81 g/cm^3 (nickel) | lowest | 6.3 g/cm^3 (chromium) | distribution | molar volume | median | 6.841 cm^3/mol | highest | 7.232 cm^3/mol (chromium) | lowest | 6.589 cm^3/mol (nickel) | distribution | Mohs hardness | median | 4.5 | highest | 8.5 (between topaz and corundum) (chromium) | lowest | 4 (≈ fluorite) (iron and nickel) Vickers hardness | all | 608 MPa | 638 MPa | 1043 MPa | 1060 MPa Brinell hardness | all | 490 MPa | 700 MPa | 1120 MPa bulk modulus | median | 175 GPa | highest | 180 GPa (nickel and cobalt) | lowest | 160 GPa (chromium) | distribution | shear modulus | median | 79 GPa | highest | 115 GPa (chromium) | lowest | 76 GPa (nickel and cobalt) | distribution | Young's modulus | median | 210 GPa | highest | 279 GPa (chromium) | lowest | 200 GPa (nickel) Poisson ratio | all | 0.21 | 0.29 | 0.31 tensile yield strength | median | 59 MPa | highest | 225 MPa (cobalt) | lowest | 50 MPa (iron) ultimate tensile strength | all | 317 MPa sound speed | median | 4940 m/s | highest | 5940 m/s (chromium) | lowest | 4720 m/s (cobalt) thermal expansion | median | 1.24×10^-5 K^(-1) | highest | 1.34×10^-5 K^(-1) (nickel) | lowest | 4.9×10^-6 K^(-1) (chromium) | distribution | thermal conductivity | median | 93 W/(m K) | highest | 100 W/(m K) (cobalt) | lowest | 80 W/(m K) (iron) | distribution | (properties at standard conditions)

resistivity | median | 8.4×10^-8 Ω m (ohm meters) | highest | 1.3×10^-7 Ω m (ohm meters) (chromium) | lowest | 6×10^-8 Ω m (ohm meters) (cobalt) | distribution | electrical conductivity | median | 1.2×10^7 S/m (siemens per meter) | highest | 1.7×10^7 S/m (siemens per meter) (cobalt) | lowest | 7.9×10^6 S/m (siemens per meter) (chromium) | distribution | Curie point | median | 1043 K (kelvins) | highest | 1394 K (kelvins) (cobalt) | lowest | 631 K (kelvins) (nickel) | distribution | work function | all | 4.5 eV | 5 eV | (4.67 to 4.81) eV | (5.04 to 5.35) eV

valence | median | 3.5 | highest | 6 (chromium) | lowest | 2 (nickel) | distribution | electronegativity | median | 1.86 | highest | 1.91 (nickel) | lowest | 1.66 (chromium) | distribution | electron affinity | median | 64 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) | highest | 112 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) (nickel) | lowest | 15.7 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) (iron) | distribution | first ionization energy | median | 748.7 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) | highest | 762.5 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) (iron) | lowest | 652.9 kJ/mol (kilojoules per mole) (chromium) | distribution |

term symbol | all | ^3F_4 | ^4F_(9/2) | ^5D_4 | ^7S_3 atomic radius | median | 137 pm | highest | 140 pm (iron and chromium) | lowest | 135 pm (nickel and cobalt) covalent radius | median | 129 pm | highest | 139 pm (chromium) | lowest | 124 pm (nickel) | distribution | (electronic ground state properties)

universe abundance | median | 0.0037 mass% | highest | 0.11 mass% (iron) | lowest | 3×10^-4 mass% (cobalt) solar abundance | median | 0.005 mass% | highest | 0.1 mass% (iron) | lowest | 4×10^-4 mass% (cobalt) meteorite abundance | median | 0.8 mass% | highest | 22 mass% (iron) | lowest | 0.059 mass% (cobalt) crust abundance | median | 0.011 mass% | highest | 6.3 mass% (iron) | lowest | 0.003 mass% (cobalt) ocean abundance | median | 1.3×10^-7 mass% | highest | 3×10^-7 mass% (iron) | lowest | 8×10^-9 mass% (cobalt) | distribution | human abundance | median | 6.5×10^-6 mass% | highest | 0.006 mass% (iron) | lowest | 2×10^-6 mass% (cobalt) universe molar abundance | median | 7×10^-5 mol% | highest | 0.002 mol% (iron) | lowest | 6×10^-6 mol% (cobalt) solar molar abundance | median | 1.2×10^-4 mol% | highest | 0.003 mol% (iron) | lowest | 7×10^-6 mol% (cobalt) meteorite molar abundance | median | 0.28 mol% | highest | 7.8 mol% (iron) | lowest | 0.02 mol% (cobalt) ocean molar abundance | median | 1.4×10^-8 mol% | highest | 3.3×10^-8 mol% (iron) | lowest | 8×10^-10 mol% (cobalt) | distribution | crust molar abundance | median | 0.0044 mol% | highest | 2.3 mol% (iron) | lowest | 9.9×10^-4 mol% (cobalt) human molar abundance | median | 7.5×10^-7 mol% | highest | 6.7×10^-4 mol% (iron) | lowest | 2×10^-7 mol% (cobalt)