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Titanium is a metallic element.
Properties
- Atomic Symbol: Ti
- Atomic Number: 22
- Atomic Weight: 47.88
- Melting Point: 1670±10°C
- Boiling Point: 3289°C
- Critical Temperature: ---
- Density: 4.54 g/cm
- Electron configuration: 3d4s
- Oxidation states: +2,+3,+4
- Crystal Structures: α-hexagonal, β-cubic (838°C)
- Thermal Conductivity: 0.219 (W/cm*K)
- Heat Capacity: 25.060 (J/mol*K)
at 25°C
Titanium was discovered by William Gregor in 1791 and named after the Titans of Greek mythology by Klaproth in 1795. Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust and is present in most igneous rocks and in sediments derived from them. It occurs in the minerals rutile, ilmenite, and sphene, as well as many iron ores and titanates. Pure metallic titanium (99.9%) was first prepared in 1910 by Matthew A. Hunter by heating TiCl4 with sodium in a steel bomb.
When pure, titanium is a lustrous, white metal. It is light, strong, easily fabricated, and very resistant to corrosion. Its relatively high melting point makes it useful as a refractory metal. Titanium is as strong as steel, but 45% lighter. It is 60% heavier than aluminum, but twice as strong. Because of its strength and light weight, titanium alloys are principally used for aircraft and missiles, although applications in consumer products such as golf clubs, mountain bikes, and laptop computers are becoming more common.
Titanium metal is produced commercially by reducing TiCl4 with magnesium, a process developed in 1946 by William Justin Kroll. This is a complex and expensive batch process, and it is anticipated that the new "FFC-Cambridge" method will become more commonplace over the next five years: the feedstock is titanium dioxide powder, readily available as the refined form of rutile, and the end product is a continuous stream of molten titanium suitable for immediate use in the manufacture of commercial alloys.
It is therefore likely that titanium will cease to be a rare and expensive material for the aerospace industry and the luxury goods market, and will be seen in many products currently manufactured using aluminium and specialist grades of steel.
Although titanium metal is relatively uncommon, due to the cost of extraction, titanium dioxide is cheap, readily available in bulk, and very widely used as a white pigment in paint plastic and construction cement. TiO2 powder is chemically inert, resists fading in sunlight, and is very opaque: this allows it to impart a pure and brilliant white colour to the brown or grey chemicals that form the majority of household plastics.
External Link:
Los Alamos National Laboratory's Chemistry Division: Periodic Table - Titanium
References:
See: Periodic Table