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photo of Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Anne Marie's Chemistry Blog

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com Guide to Chemistry since 2001

See the Iron in Your Cereal

Friday December 16, 2005
I bet you know cereal is fortified with iron, but did you realize that basically means iron filings are an ingredient? You can see the iron in your cereal. What you need to do is take your cereal, mix it in a blender with some water, pour the mess into a bowl, allow the iron to sink to the bottom, them swirl around the bottom of the bowl with the end of a magnet stick. You then wipe the end of the magnet with a white napkin or paper towel. You should be able to see black specks, which are your iron. Keep in mind you want a lot of cereal, like half a box or more, not just a bowlful. Iron, after all, is actually toxic in large quantities, so your average serving doesn't contain a large amount. I've written more detailed instructions, if you want to do this project. Try it now...

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