Titanium

Titanium: the essentials

 Brief description: titanium s a lustrous, white metal when pure. Titanium minerals are quite common. The metal has a low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. The metal burns in air and is the only element that burns in nitrogen. It is marvellous in fireworks.

Titanium is resistant to dilute sulphuric and hydrochloric acid, most organic acids, damp chlorine gas, and chloride solutions. Titanium metal is considered to be physiologically inert.

Titanium is present in meteorites and in the sun. Some lunar rocks contain high concentrations of the dioxide, TiO₂. Titanium oxide bands are prominent in the spectra of M-type stars.

This sample is from The Elements Collection, an attractive and safely packaged collection of the 92 naturally occurring elements that is available for sale.

The reaction between titanium metal and potassium perchlorate (KClO₄) (only to be demonstrated by a professionally qualified chemist following a legally satisfactory hazard asessment).

The result from adding titanium powder to a burning mixture of potassium chlorate and sucrose (only to be demonstrated by a professionally qualified chemist following a legally satisfactory hazard asessment).

Isolation

Isolation: titanium is readily available from commercial sources so preparation in the laboratory is not normally required. In industry, reduction of ores with carbon is not a useful option as intractable carbides are produced. The Kroll method is used on large scales and involves the action of chlorine and carbon upon ilmenite (TiFeO₃) or rutile (TiO₂). The resultant titanium tetrachloride, TiCl₄, is separated from the iron trichloride, FeCl₃, by fractional distillation. Finally TiCl₄ is reduced to metallic titanium by reduction with magnesium, Mg. Air is excluded so as to prevent contamination of the product with oxygen or nitrogen.

2TiFeO₃ + 7Cl₂ + 6C (900°C) → 2TiCl₄ + 2FeCl₃ + 6CO

TiCl₄ + 2Mg (1100°C) → 2MgCl₂ + Ti

Excess magensium and magneium dichloride is removed from the product bytreatment with water and hydrochloric acid to leave a titanium "sponge". This can be melted under a helium or argon atmosphere to allow casting as bars.

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