ferric oxide

noun

: the red or black oxide of iron Fe₂O₃ found in nature as hematite and as rust and also obtained synthetically and used especially in magnetic materials, as a pigment, and for polishing

Examples of ferric oxide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What’s more, the nanoscale particles could be made from readily available, inexpensive minerals, such as ferric oxide and gamma manganese dioxide for the anode and cathode materials, respectively. —IEEE Spectrum, 24 Dec. 2023

Two irons and three oxygens make ferric oxide, or Fe2O3—a complete picture that’s hard to pull apart. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2021

So, all in all, Mars is red because of hematite, which is a red form of ferric oxide. —Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021

The greatest elevations occur in the ferric oxide-rich Tharsis region, but in the lowlands to the east of it, the abundances of ferric oxides plummets. —Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021

And the worldwide shortage of gamma ferric oxide has brought tape production to a crawl. —David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 11 Oct. 2019

The team also found that the asteroid’s chemistry was dominated by compounds called ferric oxides and phyllosilicates, which had never been seen before on Kuiper belt objects. —New York Times, 10 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ferric oxide

noun

: the red or black oxide of iron found in nature as hematite and as rust

Medical Definition

ferric oxide

noun

: the red or black oxide of iron Fe₂O₃ found in nature as hematite and as rust and also obtained synthetically and used as a pigment and for polishing