Discovery of TitaniumTitaniums discovery was announced in 1791 by the geologist William Gregor from Cornwall, England.

Gregor found a black, magnetic sand that looked like gunpowder in a stream in the parish of Mannacan in Cornwall, England. (We now call this sand ilmenite; it is a mixture consisting mainly of the oxides of iron and titanium.) Gregor analyzed the sand, finding it was largely magnetite (Fe3O4) and the rather impure oxide of a new metal, which he described as reddish brown calx. This calx turned yellow when dissolved in sulfuric acid and purple when reduced with iron, tin or zinc. Gregor concluded that he found a new metal, which he named manaccanite in honor of the parish of Mannacan. Little more happens in our story until 1795, when the well-known German chemist Martin Klaproth experienced the thrill of discovering a new metallic element by obtaining a sample of manaccanite. Klaproth called the new metal titanium, after the Titans, the sons of the Earth goddess in Greek mythology. Gregor may have beaten Klaproth to the new metal, but scientists preferred Klaproths titanium to Gregors manaccanite.

Physical Properties of Titanium It has a high strength to weight ratio. It is a strong metal with low density that is quite ductile (especially in an oxygen-free environment) It is lustrous and metallic-white in colour. High melting point of 1,650C and high boiling point of 3,287 C.

Titaniums corrosion rate is so low that after 4000 years in seawater, corrosion would only have penetrated the metal to the thickness of a thin sheet of paper. Titanium has ultimate tensile strength of ultimate tensile strength of
about 63,000 psi (434 MPa), equal to that of common, low-grade steel alloys, but are 45% lighter. It has a low electrical and thermal conductivity. Titanium is 60% more dense than aluminium, but more than twice as strong. Titanium loses strength when heated above 430 C Density of titanium is 4507 kg m-3 Young modulus of titanium is 116GPa.

Uses Of Titanium Titanium is used in steel as an alloying element to reduce grain size and as a deoxidizer, and in stainless steel to reduce carbon content. For pigmentation- 95% of titanium ore extracted from the Earth is used for refinement into titanium dioxide, an intensely white permanent pigment used in paints, paper, toothpaste, and plastics. Titanium is used in sunscreen For Aerospace-Due to their high tensile strength to density ratio, high corrosion resistance, high crack resistance, and ability to withstand moderately high temperatures, titanium alloys are used in aircraft, armor plating, naval ships, spacecraft, and missiles. For these applications titanium alloyed with aluminium, zirconium, nickel, vanadium, and other elements Due to its high corrosion resistance to sea water, titanium is used to make propeller shafts

 Industrial- Welded titanium pipe and process equipment (heat exchangers, tanks, process vessels, valves) are used in the chemical and petrochemical industries primarily for corrosion resistance. Titanium metal is used in automobile or motorcycle racing, where weight reduction is critical while maintaining high strength and rigidity. It is used for jewelry especially titanium rings. Titanium is also alloyed with gold to produce an alloy that can be marketed as 24-carat gold Medical- Because it is non-toxic and is not rejected by the body, titanium is used in medical applications including surgical implements and implants, such as hip balls and sockets (joint replacement) that can stay in place for up to 20 years. Titanium is used in watches of world leading companies such as Tissot, Casio and Rolex

Extraction of Titanium1. Conversion of titanium(IV) oxide, TiO2, into titanium(IV) chloride, TiCl4 The ore rutile (impure titanium(IV) oxide) is heated with chlorine and coke at a temperature of about 900C.

2. Reduction of the titanium(IV) chloride Reduction by sodium The titanium(IV) chloride is added to a reactor in which very pure sodium has been heated to about 550C - everything being under an inert argon atmosphere. During the reaction, the temperature increases to about 1000C.

After the reaction is complete, and everything has cooled (several days in total an obvious inefficiency of the batch process), the mixture is crushed and washed with dilute hydrochloric acid to remove the sodium chloride.

PrecautionAs a powder or in the form of metal shavings, titanium metal poses a significant fire hazard and, when heated in air, an explosion hazard. Water and carbon dioxide based methods to extinguish fires are ineffective on burning titanium. When used in the production or handling of chlorine, care must be taken to use titanium only in locations where it will not be exposed to dry chlorine gas which can result in a titanium/chlorine fire. A fire hazard exists even when titanium is used in wet chlorine. Titanium can catch fire when a fresh, non-oxidized surface comes in contact with liquid oxygen.