Question

Iron is a strong metal, yet never used in pure state. Give reasons

Answer 1

Pure iron is soft and very malleable (elastic) and is able to stretch a lot and it is also ductile. It can rust (oxidize) readily in moist air. It is also fairly reactive. Pure iron has little use - some for analytical chemistry and some in medicine. It is made much more useful by alloying it with other materials. Due to these drawbacks iron is not used in pure state.