TheCorrectResponse wrote:Iron is not itself magnetic it is "paramagnetic". It becomes magnetic when introduced to a magnetic field. Without getting into quantum mechanics and becoming unintelligible to most; the short answer is because iron has its 6 valence (bonding) electrons in its "d" shell. These electrons are far enough from the nucleus that they don't orbit the nucleus per se they hang around in an area a specific distance away from it that is defined by QM statistics. Because these electrons are "relatively" loose they are easily aligned when an external magnetic field is applied to the iron.
And because of other attributes that have to do with the specific configuration and number of its electrons this field can be relatively stronger than would be supposed without taking quantum mechanical processes into account.
For a short answer that's the best I can do: where its outer electrons exist in space relative to the nucleus and how loosely they are held.
I still don't see what was wrong with my answer. It seems like a sufficient explanation, and I actually did google search the question before I posted, and I came across the link you recommended spendi, but since he asked for a simple explanation, I figured referring him to a 3400 word explanation would be overkill.
Also, that site seems to agree with what I supposed might be true, about unpaired electrons.
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