What Is Titanium? And The Brief History Of Titanium.
Titanium is a metal known primarily for its high strength, low weight and corrosion resistance. Its atomic number is 22, and its chemical symbol on the periodic table is "Ti". It has a silver hue, which usually tends to be gray or white, but in the process by controlling the voltage, it can change almost any color on the spectrum using different titanium anodization methods. Like most metals, titanium also has a shiny surface.
Titanium is the ninth most abundant element on Earth and can be found in igneous and sedimentary rocks, minerals, clay, and sand. However, you will not find pure titanium in nature, as it often reacts with oxygen. When it does this, it forms a protective layer of titanium dioxide (TiO₂). Titanium is mainly extracted from two minerals-a rock ranging from deep brown to black with a crystalline appearance called rutile, and ilmenite (titanium-iron oxide), a gray-black rock. Other minerals that can also be refined to obtain pure titanium include anatase, perovskite, brookite, and titanic mineral.
While titanium is not one of the most expensive metals in the world, it is more expensive than other common metals used in industry, such as steel or aluminum. The price of pure titanium is around $18 to $20 per kilogram, and the price of titanium alloys is usually between $70 and $80 per kilogram.
Titanium was first discovered in 1791 by a clergyman, geologist, and chemist named William Gregor in Cornwall, southwest England. Gregor found some black sand pulled by a magnet by a stream. After careful examination, he discovered iron oxide, as well as another metal oxide that was even whiter and unfamiliar to him. He named this metal "glycerin" and reported his discovery in scientific journals in France and Germany.
He was not the only one to accidentally discover this precious metal and wonder what it was; the Austrian mineralogist and mining engineer Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein was also in a similar predicament. In 1795, the Prussian chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth also accidentally discovered this super strong element. It was he who named it "titanium"-after the Titans in Greek mythology. It was not until 115 years later that someone managed to extract pure titanium.
In 1910, Matthew A., a New Zealand scientist working at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York Hunter separated titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) by heating it with sodium at high pressure and high temperature (1292-1472°F). The result is pure titanium and sodium chloride as by-products.
Then, in 1932, metallurgist William Justin Kroll from Luxembourg found another method to separate titanium, this time by reducing TiCl4 with calcium, followed by magnesium and sodium. In the 1950s, the Soviet Union began to use titanium for military applications, including aviation and submarines, and soon other countries such as the United States also joined in the use of titanium.
