{"id":62,"date":"2020-04-08T15:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2023-08-16T10:20:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:20:56","slug":"titanium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/titanium\/","title":{"rendered":"Titanium (Ti)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Titanium is a chemical element with the atomic number 22 in the periodic table. After aluminum, iron<\/a>, and magnesium<\/a>, titanium is the fourth most abundant metal that occurs in Earth\u2019s structural layers. As a member of the transition metals family of periodic table elements, titanium has four valence electrons.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being classified as a non-toxic and safe substance with strong anti-corrosive properties, titanium is widely used for making medical and dental implants, in marine and space industries, as well as in cosmetics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Titanium<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
The symbol in the periodic table of elements<\/td>Ti<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>22<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight (mass)<\/td>47.90 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group number<\/td>4 (Transition metals)<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>4 (d-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A silvery-white metallic color<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From less than 120 nanoseconds to 60 years<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>1.5<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>4.506 g.cm-3 at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>1670\u00b0C, 3038\u00b0F, 1943 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3287\u00b0C, 5949\u00b0F, 3560 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.147 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.09 nm (+2) ; 0.068 nm (+4)<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>25<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>48Ti<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Ar] 3d24s2<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>658 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>1310 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the third ionization<\/td>2652 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the fourth ionization<\/td>4175 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>In 1791 by William Gregor<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Ti, atomic number 22, atomic mass of 47.90 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Ar] 3d<\/span>2<\/span>4s<\/span>2<\/span>, titanium is a chemical of an extremely high strength which is also light, ductile, flexible, and malleable. It has a lower specific density than stainless steel but possesses the same strength and hardness. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This nonmagnetic and corrosion-resistant metal has a characteristic silvery-white metallic color and low density. It reaches its boiling point at 3287\u00b0C, 5949\u00b0F, 3560 K, while the melting point is achieved at 1670\u00b0C, 3038\u00b0F, 1943 K. Classified as a member of the transition metals family of elements in the periodic table, titanium has an electronegativity of 1.5 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.147 nm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Titanium is classified in the first transition group of the periodic table since the chemical properties of element 22 resemble the chemical behavior of the elements silica and zirconium<\/a>. When titanium adopts lower oxidation states, it displays similar chemical properties to the elements chrome and vanadium<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon exposure to oxygen<\/a>, pure titanium forms a prospective layer of ceramic that resembles an oxide film. This chemical reaction supports the high corrosion resistance of this transition metal. It\u2019s also insoluble in water but readily dissolved in concentrated acids.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Titanium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reverend William Gregor (1761 \u2013 1817) from Cornwall, England, is the first person to have pointed out titanium as a new chemical element. In 1791, Gregor succeeded in extracting an impure titanium oxide from the black, gunpowder-like magnetic sand that he obtained from a stream in the parish of Manaccan. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his experiment, Gregor dissolved the black powder in acid, which resulted in a colorless solution. In the next step of the experiment, this advanced transition metal chemist reduced the colorless solution by zinc<\/a> to a purple solution. At the end of the chemical trial, Gregor observed two distinct substances that made up the black powder – one of them was magnetite (Fe3O4), while the other reddish-brown substance was identified as an impure oxide of the new metallic chemical element manaccanite, i.e. titanium (Ti).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Martin Heinrich Klaproth <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1795, the renewed German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth analyzed a sample of the mineral rutile, obtained from Boinik, Hungary. After extensive observation, Klaproth was sure that the red oxide was, in fact, an unknown element which he labeled as titanium. Upon revision of Gregor\u2019s discovery, Klaproth also observed that he had derived the same red manaccanite oxide as Gregor did back in 1791.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Matthew Hunter<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Discovering the new chemical element with atomic mass 22 proved to be much easier than its pure-form isolation. After many unsuccessful attempts of the scientists over a span of more than 100 years, the New York-based metallurgist Matthew Hunter managed to do the seemingly impossible thing – isolate the titanium metal. By heating titanium (IV) chloride with sodium to red-heat in a pressure cylinder, Hunter produced the metallic form of the element 22. Today, this process is labeled as the Kroll Process and is applied in the commercial production of titanium.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Titanium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The original name of element 22 was \u2018manaccanite\u2019. It was derived from the name of a village in South Cornwall of the United Kingdom called Manaccan. This village was the place where pastor William Gregor first discovered titanium in 1791. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the amazing physical and chemical properties of the new chemical were determined, element 22 got the name \u2018titanium\u2019 after the Titans – the strong sons of the Earth goddess described in Greek mythology.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Titanium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With an occurrence of about 0.6% in the Earth\u2019s crust, titanium is a chemical element that is always bonded to other chemicals found in nature. It typically occurs in igneous rocks and their sediments. The element 22 can also be traced in all living things, as well as in the surface waters. Titanium oxide bands have been observed in spectra of M-type stars, the Sun, some types of meteorites, coal ash, plants, as well as in the human body.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minerals ilmenite (FeTiO<\/span>3<\/span>) and rutile (TiO<\/span>2<\/span>) are often mined for the rich concentration of titanium in them. This chemical element is also found in the minerals anatase, perovskite, brookite, ilmenite, rutile, and titanite (sphene). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most significant ilmenite and rutile deposits are located in Eastern and Western Australia, Canada, the eastern coast of America, New Zealand, Brazil, Mozambique, South Africa, India, Norway, Ukraine, China, and Sierra Leone. On the other hand, Australia and the United States are considered countries rich in titanium placer minerals. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 95% of titanium production all over the world is in the form of titanium dioxide (titania). Pure titanium metal is shaped into sheets, billets, ingots, plates, pipes, forgings, blocks, bars, fasteners, or tubings ready for further industrial processing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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List of Titanium Minerals<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 140 minerals that have been identified and known for their richness in titanium. However, about ten of them are actively exploited for the extraction of element 22. The following is an exhaustive list of the titanium minerals:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n