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No. 323 December 2004 Published monthly by Public Relations Center General Administration Div. Nippon Steel Corporation “A Pilgrimage: Colored Fibers Encounter Iron” More about Nippon Steel (A series of works by Kei Tsuji) —Contribution for December 2004— http://www.nsc.co.jp WWW (Works of art focused on “an alliance of iron—closely bound to both earth and man—with the arts of dyeing and weaving”) Born in Tokyo 1953, Kei Tsuji displays her installations, centered on dyeing and weaving, in deserts, woodlands and waterfronts the world over. Produced through a fieldwork approach, her installations represent a continuous pursuit of the connection between herself (dyed and woven cloth) and the realm of time and space (principles of the natural world). In this issue Regular Subscription Feature Story If you have received the web-version The Origin of Iron (Two-part series: 1) of Nippon Steel News, you are already —Birth of the Iron Star: Earth— a registered subscriber, thus no new registration is required. Associates who wish to become subscribers are requested to click on Operating Roundup the icon to complete and submit the registration form. Strategic Alliance between Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton WWW Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton have reached a basic agreement to mutually explore the possibility on strategic alliance for development of new mines and other fields. Operating Roundup Strategic Alliance between Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton WWW Back to Top Back Next No. 323 December 2004 Feature Story The Genesis of Product Making The Origin of Iron (Two-part Series: 1) From the Creation of the Universe to the Evolution of Life IRON formed the earth about 4.6 billion amount to about 232 billion tons, far great- years ago. Not only is iron indispensable er than for any other metal. for the progress of human civilization, it is In this issue and the next, we will exam- vital for the evolution of organic life and for ine the birth of iron, the process by which human existence. Iron is regarded as the fi- iron ore is produced, and the indispens- nal form of the nuclear fusion that began able “role of iron” in the growth and evolu- concurrently with the birth of the universe tion of living things. In this regard, the and is the most structurally stable element. “origin of iron” is highlighted as constitut- Iron accounts for some 30% of the total ing the “genesis of product making” at Nip- mass of the earth and its proved reserves pon Steel. Operating Roundup Strategic Alliance between Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton WWW Back to Top Back Next No. 323 December 2004 Feature Story Iron—the Universe’s Ultimate Masterpiece The origin of iron dates back to the beginnings were stable in terms of energy hovered in space. of Universe. It is commonly accepted that the uni- Then, they were steadily drawn closer together verse was born by an awesome explosion known by “fluctuations” of material called “dark matter” as the “Big Bang.” The protons and neutrons that to form gaseous clouds that created stars. (See are the core constituents of atoms were created Fig. 1.) by the big bang from a state in which no matter had previously existed. These particles bonded to 13.7 billion years later: Present universe each other to produce the atomic nuclei of hydro- gen and helium (two protons and two neutrons). Nine billion years later: The universe was in a chaotic state at this time Birth of the solar system with protons, helium, electrons and magnetic ~Five billion years later: waves flying about. Birth of stars It is said that up to this point only three minutes One million~one billion years later: Stars repeatedly come had transpired since the big bang. After another Birth of primitive galaxies into being and die 380,000 years or more had passed and the tem- perature of the universe had dropped to about 380,000 years later: Clearing of the universe 3,000 degrees centigrade, electrons were drawn Three minutes later: Bonding of nuclear atoms to atomic nuclei to form atoms of hydrogen and 1/100 second later: World of light, protons, neutrons and electrons helium. Because this event restricted the move- ment of electrons, the universe became clear, Big bang: 13.7 billion years ago The universe was born from a huge explosion called the Big Bang that oc- thereby bringing about an unobstructed view. curred 13.7 billion years ago. Since then, the universe has evolved with stars repeatedly coming into being and disappearing. Earth, the iron star, For a while, these two basic elements that Fig. 1 Evolution of the Universe was born 4.6 billion years ago, or 9.0 billion years after the big bang. Operating Roundup Strategic Alliance between Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton WWW Back to Top Back Next No. 323 December 2004 Feature Story Then, as these atoms were pressed against The binding force of iron is strong because of Therefore, iron is the most stable of all elements. each other by the gravitational force of the stars, the limited mass of its protons and neutrons. If the This state can be cited just as the “scrumming of compression energy rose as temperatures in- number of protons were to increase beyond iron, iron elements.” creased, and the bonding of protons and neutrons electrical repulsion would strengthen so that the Iron is the “ultimate masterpiece” created by continued to advance, thereby creating a succes- binding force of nuclear particles becomes weak. “the alchemist named the universe.” sion of elements other than hydrogen and helium. This phenomenon is called “nuclear fusion” (ther- Fig. 2 Birth of Iron Fig. 3 Iron—Element with the Lightest Protons monuclear reaction). (See Fig. 2.) and Neutrons H, He 1.002 As nuclear fusion progressed, it generated heat. Iron is likely to bond with each of the other elements. Heat together with pressure further advanced the C, O First 1.001 Second generation fusion process until finally giving birth to “iron.” Si, Mg, • • • generation With nuclear fusion came an increase in the num- The mass of atom ber of protons and neutrons and a simultaneous 1.000 (nuclear particle) increase in their total atomic mass. Then, the heat Mass is lightest. Fe energy produced by the bonding of the protons 0.999 and neutrons was released, thereby reducing the Supernova Nuclear Fe explosion mass of each proton and neutron (Einstein’s spe- fusion 0.998 cial theory of relativity). The protons and neutrons 0102030405060708090 that form the atomic nucleus of iron are the light- Atomic number est of all the other elements. From this, it can be Nuclear fusion (thermonuclear reaction) is a phenomenon whereby When nuclear fusion occurs, the total mass of atoms increases, the gravitational force of stars compels the atoms within them to but the weight of their individual protons and neutrons grows seen that the nuclear fusion that occurs in stars rub against each other and produce heat energy that, in turn, leads steadily lighter. The protons and neutrons that constitute the atom- comes to an end with the birth of iron—the end of to the bonding of protons and neutrons and the subsequent pro- ic nuclei of iron are the lightest of all the elements, which indicates duction of elements other than hydrogen and helium. This phe- that nuclear fusion ended with the birth of iron. the first generation atoms. (See Fig. 3.) nomenon soon comes to an end with the birth of iron. Operating Roundup Strategic Alliance between Nippon Steel and BHP Billiton WWW Back to Top Back Next No. 323 December 2004 Feature Story Birth of the Iron Star: Earth Iron was born during the last stage of nuclear fu- outside the stars, causing big bang. This is the sion. However, stars similar in size to the sun, “supernova explosion,” which turned the iron and even during advanced nuclear fusion, can only other products produced by nuclear fusion into bring forth the elements up to carbon (six protons stardust that scattered into the universe. and six neutrons) and oxygen (eight protons and In supernova explosion, another nuclear fusion Fig. 4 Abundance of Elements in the Universe eight neutrons). Iron is produced in stars about 8 reaction was caused, one that produced the to 30 times the size of the sun. atoms appearing after iron in the periodic table, 6 1010 Relative atomic number ratio with Si set at 10 After a lapse of about 30 million years (a com- i.e., the second-generation atoms from nickel to paratively short period in terms of universal time), uranium. Absorbing the explosive energy that 108 iron formed in the center of these stars. It was gave them birth, the protons and neutrons of Fe The abundance is extraor- 106 dinarily more than those of compact in size, no longer subject to further reac- these later atoms became heavier than iron (Fig. any other metal tion, and marked the end of each star’s nuclear 3). These second-generation elements also scat- 104 fusion process. Once the fusion process in these tered into the universe where they floated about. 102 stars advanced to the point of producing iron, the In this way, diverse kinds of elements were stars were unable to continue changing. Diverse born. Among these, the elements existing in the 100 atoms were drawn to them from outside, and the largest quantities were hydrogen and helium, the Abundance in the universe (solar system) -2 nuclear atoms of iron that had existed stably at two basic elements brought forth by the Big Bang.

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