Abstract: A magnetic pigment consisting essentially of iron, having an X-ray crystallite size with the 110 reflex of from 14 to 22 nm, a coercive force from 55 to 88 kA/m and a switching field distribution of the oriented pigment particles of less than 0.55 is produced by precipitating an iron (II)-salt with a super-stoichiometric quantity of an aqueous alkali metal carbonate solution and oxidizing it to produce .alpha.-FeOOH, .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 or betholoid iron oxides, subsequently reducing it to the metal, and providing the iron oxides or oxide hydroxides with an inorganic protection from sintering at the latest during reduction.

Abstract: Highly pure and highly color intensive black anisometric magnetite iron oxide pigment having an FeO content of from 26 to 29% by weight and manganese content of less than 0.1% by weight, said pigment further having a specific BET surface area of from 5 to 15 square meters per gram and being needle shaped particles with an average needle diameter of 0.1 to 0.2 .mu.m and an average needle length of from 0.6 to 0.8 .mu.m are produced by producing .alpha.-FeOOH particles by alkali precipitation of an iron salt solution with a nuclear formation stage oxidation and a pigment growth stage oxidation followed by reduction and passivation.

Abstract: Spherical agglomerates of surface-stabilized primary particles substantially consisting of iron, having a BET surface of about 5 to 50 m.sup.2 /g, measured on the agglomerate, in non-pyrophoric form and having a bulk density of about 0.5 to 2.0 kg/l and an agglomerate diameter of about 0.5 to 10 mm are produced by(a) reducing in dry phase particles consisting essentially of iron oxide,(b) intensively dispersing the particles in liquid phase,(c) coating the particles with an inorganic and/or organic coating optionally containing corrosion inhibitors,(d) separating the particles from the liquid phase by evaporating the volatile components with a continuously rotating and simultaneously tumbling movement, and(e) subjecting the resulting granulates to a thermal treatment. The particles are especially useful for the production of magnetic recording media.

Abstract: A pigment of a magnetic metal or alloy thereof carrying, in about 0.2 to 30% of the weight of the metal or alloy, a coating of at least one member selected from the group consisting of an ortho-silicic acid ester, a hydrolyzate thereof and a condensation product thereof. Optionally it also carries a corrosion inhibitor. The coated pigment is produced by suspension of the untreated pigment in a liquid medium containing the ortho-silicic acid ester or derivative thereof, and optionally the corrosion inhibitor, followed by separation and drying at 50.degree. to 250.degree. C. The resulting pigment is non-pyrophoric and of high performance properties suitable for use in magnetic recording media.

Abstract: A metal powder, suitable for magnetic recording, consisting essentially of iron, the individual particles being acicular and containing on average no more then 5 pores and consisting on average of no more than 2 metal cores is produced by precipitating and oxidizing an aqueous iron-(II)-salt solution to produce finely divided acicular iron-(III)-oxide-hydroxide, stabilizing it as by treatment with cadmium, lead, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, chromium, tungsten, a phosphorus oxide and/or a boron oxide, converting it into ferromagnetic iron oxide of low pore content, and reducing it to metallic iron with a gaseous reducing agent at about 300.degree. to 600.degree. C.