1 Titanium could easily have been known as
menachanite. Cornish vicar and amateur geologist William Gregor had first
discovered titanium compound within black sand next to a stream in 1791. After
extracting the oxide, he named it after the local parish, Manaccan. But it was
not to be. A few years later, Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German scientist
discovered the element independently and named it after the mythical race,
Titans.
Properties of Titanium
2 Titanium, an inert non-toxic element, is ninth on
the list of the earth’s most abundant element. This is fortunate, as titanium’s
strength-to-weight ratio means it has proven invaluable to the commercial and
industrial world.
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| Titanium Alloy |
3 Titanium Facts
Atomic number: 22
Atomic weight: 47.867
State: silver solid
Category: transition metal
Melting point: 1,668°C (3,034°F)
Boiling point:
3,287°C (5,949°F)
4 On exposure to air, titanium acquires a layer of titanium
oxide that protects the metal from the corrosive effects of oxygen. Initially,
this oxide coating is only a few manometers thick, but increases to around 25 manometers over a few years. This
coating is resistant not only to air but erosion from seawater. This is why titanium
is included in structures that routinely bear the pummelling effects of the sea:
submarines, propeller blades, oilrig struts and suspense bridges.
Titanium Uses
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| Titanium Symbol |
5 Furthermore, titanium can be alloyed other metals to
produce infinitely strong substances. Titanium alloys include scandium, molybdenum,
aluminium and iron. Titanium alloys are used for many applications – crash
helmets, horseshoes, cars, watches, bicycles frames, missiles, tanks, jewellery,
surgical instruments and mobile phones.
6 Metal fatigue is every pilot’s fear. Certain metals
over time accumulate stress fractures from the rigours of flight, weather,
temperature and pressure changes. Titanium is highly resistant to metal fatigue
and is also much lighter than steel, and is therefore widely used in aerospace
technology.
Titanium Implants
7 Titanium is the ideal metal for surgical implants,
as it does not react with human tissue. Hip replacements, dental implants, cartilage
pins and skull plates are made from titanium. Before use, titanium is given a
high electrical charge to remove the outer oxide layer, allowing a new layer to
form as the metal fuses with bone.
8 But titanium is found in the human body anyway – in trace
amounts. In fact, it can be found in just about every living organism on the
planet. Titanium can also be found in seawater including mineral compounds, but
cannot be found naturally in its pure form.
Titanium Dioxide in Pigments
9 Powdered titanium dioxide is the pigment included in
white paint due to its high refractive index. This denotes a substance’s ability
to refract (or scatter) light. Curiously, the powdered pigment, when viewed
under the microscope, will appear translucent, almost like glass, and yet its
refractive index makes gives the impression of brilliant white, opaque paint.
For this reason, titanium dioxide is the staple white for oil paints,
watercolour, acrylics, emulsion, primers and others. So-called titanium white is
safer to use than the precursor, lead white.
10 Titanium dioxide’s whiteness is also used in sun
creams to deflect the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. It can be found in
toothpaste, paper and PVA plastic.
Titanium Metal
11 Titanium is the only element of the periodic table
that burns in nitrogen. In the form of fine shavings, titanium will burn in
air.
12 The moon contains pools of titanium rock on its
surface, which has a higher concentration of the metal than is found in the
typical rocks on earth. Titanium can also be found on meteorites and of course
on certain stars, as it is manufactured via solar-nuclear fusion.
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