Titanium was discovered over 200 years ago by Reverend William Gregor in Cornwall and its
original name back then was 'Menachite'.
Titanium got its current name given to it by a German chemist named Dr. Martin H Klaproth
who named it after the Titans in greek mythology. It took klaproth years to industrialise his new
found element because the technique of isolating the titanium from its ore was unknown.
The first successful isolation took place in 1887 by Lars Nilson and Otto Pettersson who
managed to obtain a product that was 95 percent titanium.
It was Matthew Hunter who finally isolated titanium at a purity of 99.9% in 1910.
In 1948 the Titanium industry exploded with USA funding the manufacture for projects such
as missiles, aircraft and spacecraft - starting from a mere 2 tons in 1947 to a massive 1000
tons by 1953!
Titanium is manufactured mainly in Russia and the United States but is also produced in
Japan, England and China.
These days titanium can be used for a whole variety of uses including: aircraft,bicycle
frames,watches,surgical implants, jewellery and many more besides. Titanium is used in
jewellery because it has an extremely high strength to weight ratio, is hypoallergenic, and
looks extremely beautiful when polished.
Chemical element
Atomic symbol: Ti
Atomic number: 22
Atomic weight: 47.90
Atomic volume: 10.64 cm3/mol
Density: 4.50 g/cm3
Period Number: 4
Group number: 4
Group name: Trans. Met.
Element classification: Metal
States
Phase at room temperature: Solid
Melting Point: 1933.2 K
Boiling point: 3558 K
Heat of fusion: 15.450 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization: 421.00 kJ/mol
Energies
Ionization Energy: 6.828 eV
1st ionization energy: 658 kJ/mole
2nd ionization energy: 1310.3 kJ/mole
3rd ionization energy: 2652.5 kJ/mole
Electronegativity: 1.54
Electron affinity: 7.6 kJ/mole
Specific heat: 0.52 J/gK
Heat atomization: 470 kJ/mole atoms
Oxidation & Electrons
Shells: 2,8,10,2
Electron Shell Configuration: [Ar] 3d2 4s2
Minimum oxidation number: -1
Maximum oxidation number: 4
Minimum common oxidation number: 0
Maximum common oxidation no: 4
Appearance & Characteristics
Structure:: hcp: hexagonal close pkd
Color: gray
Hardness: mohs
Toxicity: ?
Characteristics: max strength/weight ratio
Uses: steel,white pigment(TiO2)
Reactions
Reaction with air: mild, w/ht =>TiO2, TiN
Reaction with 6M HCl: none
Reaction with 15M HNO3: passivated
Reaction with 6M NaOH: none
Other Forms
Number of isotopes: 5
Oxide(s): TiO Ti2O3 TiO2 + more
Hydride(s): TiH2
Chloride(s): TiCl2 TiCl3 TiCl4
Radius
Atomic Radius: 147 pm
Ionic radius (1- ion): pm
Ionic radius (1+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (2- ion): pm
Ionic radius (2+ ion): 100 pm
Ionic radius (3+ ion): 81 pm
Conductivity
Thermal conductivity: 21.9 J/m-sec-deg
Electrical conductivity: 23.81 1/mohm-cm
Polarizability: 14.6 A^3
Abundance
Source: Ilmenite, rutile(oxide)
Relative abundance solar system: 3.380 log
Abundance earth's crust: 3.8 log
Estimated crustal abundance: 5.65×103 milligrams per kilogram
Estimated oceanic abundance: 1×10-3 milligrams per liter
History
(Latin. titans, the first sons of the Earth, mythology)
Discovered by Gregor in 1791; named by Klaproth in 1795. Impure titanium was prepared by Nilson and Pettersson in 1887; however, the pure metal (99.9%) was not made until 1910 when Hunter heated TiCl4 with sodium in a steel bomb.
Sources
Titanium is present in meteorites and the sun. Rocks obtained during the Apollo 17 lunar mission showed presence of 12.1% TiO2; rocks obtained during earlier Apollo missions show lower percentages.
Titanium oxide bands are prominent in the spectra of M-type stars. The element is the ninth most abundant in the crust of the earth. Titanium is almost always present in igneous rocks and in the sediments derived from them.
It occurs in the minerals rutile, ilmenite, and sphene, and is present in titanates and in many iron ores. Titanium is present in ash of coal, in plants, and in human body.
The metal was a laboratory curiosity until Kroll, in 1946, showed that titanium could be produced commercially by reducing titanium tetrachloride with magnesium. This method is still largely used for producing the metal. The metal can be purified by decomposing the iodide.
Properties
Titanium, when pure, is a lustrous, white metal. It has a low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. It is ductile only when it is free of oxygen. The metal, which burns in air, is the only element that burns in nitrogen.
Titanium is resistant to dilute sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, most organic acids, most chlorine gas, and chloride solutions.
Natural titanium is reported to become very radioactive after bombardment with deuterons. The emitted radiations are mostly positrons and hard gamma rays. The metal is dimorphic. The hexagonal alpha form changes to the cubic beta form very slowly at about 8800C. The metal combines with oxygen at red heat, and with chlorine at 5500C.
Titanium metal is considered to be physiologically inert. When pure, titanium dioxide is relatively clear and has an extremely high index of refraction with an optical dispersion higher than diamond.
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