Titanium

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Occurrence and production

Titanium metal is not found unbound to other elements in nature but the element is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust (0.63% by mass) and is present in most igneous rocks and in sediments derived from them (as well as in living things and natural bodies of water). It is widely distributed and occurs primarily in the minerals anatase, brookite, ilmenite, perovskite, rutile, titanite (sphene), as well in many iron ores. Of these minerals, only ilmenite and rutile have significant economic importance, yet even they are difficult to find in high concentrations. Because it reacts easily with oxygen and carbon at high temperatures it is difficult to prepare pure titanium metal, crystals, or powder. Significant titanium ore deposits are in Australia, Scandinavia, North America and Malaysia.

Related Topics:
Earth - Mass - Igneous rock - Sediments - Mineral - Anatase - Brookite - Ilmenite - Perovskite - Rutile - Titanite - Iron - Reacts - Oxygen - Carbon - Metal - Crystal - Powder - Australia - Scandinavia - North America - Malaysia

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This metal is found in meteorites and has been detected in the sun and in M-type stars. Rocks brought back from the moon during the Apollo 17 mission are composed of 12.1% TiO2. Titanium is also found in coal ash, plants, and even the human body.

Related Topics:
Meteorite - Sun - M-type - Star - Rock - Moon - Apollo 17 - Coal - Plant - Human

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Because the metal reacts with air at high temperatures it can not be produced by reduction of its dioxide. Titanium metal is therefore produced commercially by the Kroll process; a complex, and expensive batch process developed in 1946 by William Justin Kroll. In the Kroll process, the oxide is first converted to chloride through carbochlorination, whereby chlorine gas is passed over red-hot rutile or ilmenite in the presence of carbon to make TiCl4. This is condensed and purified by fractional distillation and then reduced with 800 °C molten magnesium in an argon atmosphere.

Related Topics:
Kroll process - Batch process - 1946 - William Justin Kroll - Carbochlorination - Chlorine - Rutile - Ilmenite - Carbon - TiCl₄ - Fractional distillation - Reduced - Magnesium - Argon

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A newer process called the FFC Cambridge Process may displace this older process. This method uses the feedstock titanium dioxide powder (which is a refined form of rutile) to make the end product which is either a powder or sponge. If mixed oxide powders are used, the product is an alloy at a much lower cost than the conventional multi-step melting process. It is hoped that the FFC Cambridge Process will render titanium a less rare and expensive material for the aerospace industry and the luxury goods market, and will be seen in many products currently manufactured using aluminium and specialist grades of steel.

Related Topics:
FFC Cambridge Process - Titanium dioxide - Rutile - Aerospace - Aluminium - Steel

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Titanium oxide is produced commercially by grinding its mineral ore and mixing it with potassium carbonate and aqueous hydrofluoric acid. This yields potassium fluorotitanate (K2TiF6) which is extracted with hot water and decomposed with ammonia, producing a ammoniacal hydrated oxide. This in turn is ignited in a platinum vessel, which creates pure titanium dioxide.

Related Topics:
Oxide - Potassium carbonate - Hydrofluoric acid - Potassium fluorotitanate - K - F - Ammonia - Hydrate - Platinum

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Common titanium alloys are made by reduction. For example; cuprotitanium (rutile with copper added is reduced), ferrocarbon titanium (ilmenite reduced with coke in an electric furnace), and manganotitanium (rutile with manganese or manganese oxides are reduced).

Related Topics:
Alloy - Reduction - Copper - Coke

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