[strongfoundation1 (OP)]

First you need a basic chemical understanding of iron (valences, bonding, reactions, etc).  Perhaps one of the chemists on this forum can better advise you as to the proper textbooks for chemical properties of iron.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=33451.0 [nofollow]

Bass, an excellent member here, advised me to try to inquire to the Chemistry experts here about what is the best textbook for learning the chemical properties of iron.  A book that assumes the reader knows nothing at all and teaches them all they need to know.  You can check the link I posted above to get a better idea of what I’m trying to do here.  Thank you!

[Bored chemist]

There are textbooks just on the chemistry of iron.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gmelin-Organometallic-Gmelin-Durrer-Metallurgy-Occurrence/dp/3540936548/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281984070&sr=1-2
However I doubt you want to spend the cost of a small second hand car on a book, and that's just 1 book in a long series about iron.

What, exactly, do you want to know?

[strongfoundation1 (OP)]

@bored chemist - Please check out the link I posted and the advice that Bass gave me.  I'm not exactly sure what I need to know, I'm simply posting the advice bass gave me.  I can PM him and inquire about what exactly it is I should be looking for in a Chemistry textbook to understand the concepts/ideas he feels that I will need to know to be able to perform economic geology regarding iron.  What do you think?

[lightarrow]

strongfoundation1: I wouldn't be unkind, but if you don't know what you are looking for, and your friend knows, why are you asking here? Ask your friend!  []

[strongfoundation1 (OP)]

@lightarrow - Bass only knows that I need to have a basic understanding of iron.  He doesn't know which textbook would supply me that basic understanding.  That is why he referred me here, so a chemist here could tell me "this textbook/book __ will teach you and give you the best basic chemistry understanding of iron".  Basically, I am trying to locate and mine for iron.  Bass, the member who advised me to inquire here is an professional economic geologist.  So, what's the best textbook for me?  []

[Bass]

Just to clarify- Strongoundation wants to build a car from scratch, and I mean from scratch.  He hopes to mine or process or manufacture all the materials.  A daunting task, to be sure.

In one of his posts, he asked what information he would need to find, mine and process iron.  I thought it was important that he have a basic understanding of chemistry, especially an understanding of valences, compounds and solutions.  Economic concentrations of iron depend heavily on Eh and pH conditions of the paleoenvironment. 

StrongFoundation has little to no scientific background, so the he needs references that are easily understood.  He is beginning with a basic geology text- but he will need knowledge of chemistry as well.  Since chemistry is not my area of expertise, I was hoping someone could suggest a starting point.

[Geezer]

Just to clarify- Strongoundation wants to build a car from scratch, and I mean from scratch.  He hopes to mine or process or manufacture all the materials.  A daunting task, to be sure.

In one of his posts, he asked what information he would need to find, mine and process iron.  I thought it was important that he have a basic understanding of chemistry, especially an understanding of valences, compounds and solutions.  Economic concentrations of iron depend heavily on Eh and pH conditions of the paleoenvironment. 

StrongFoundation has little to no scientific background, so the he needs references that are easily understood.  He is beginning with a basic geology text- but he will need knowledge of chemistry as well.  Since chemistry is not my area of expertise, I was hoping someone could suggest a starting point.

If he want's to do it from scratch, shouldn't he really only use hydrogen?