The Wonder Metal

Spanish- TITANIO.
Croatian- TITANIJ.
French- TITANE.
German- TITAN-R.



Wondering what all these are? These are the different ways how folks name the 'Wonder Metal'-TITANIUM.

Let's jump back to the year 1791. In the nether regions of Ural Mountains in Russia, is situated Ilmen lake, encompassed by Ilmen Mountain Range. Concentrated into layers by "Magmatic Segregation", Ilmenite forms a primary mineral in mafic igneous rocks. Ilmenite also occurs in pegmatites, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. William Gregor, a British mineralogist, came across Ilmenite deposits at the Manaccan Valley. After several studies and processes, scientists came upon a greyish metal which was found to be light, strong, lustrous and corrosion-resistant. Later, it was Martin Kaproth who isolated the same metal from a mineral called Rutile. Paying respect to the great Titans of the Greek Mythology, Kaproth christened the new metal as Titanium.

Titanium occurs in many ores namely anatase, brookite, ilmenite, perovskite, sphene and many iron ores. Of these, rutile and ilmenite are considered as two primary ores. Rich ilmenite deposits are found in India, Norway, New Zealand, Ukraine, Canada and Australia. In the American continents, North and South, a very good quantity of Rutile is found, and traces in South Africa together add up to 90000 tonnes of Titanium extracted every year. The estimated amount of Titanium is about 600 million tonnes, thereby making it the seventh most abundant metal accounting for 0.63% of earth's crust by mass. It has been observed that Titanium was found in the rocks obtained from moon and in trace quantites from meteorites. Reports suggest the presence of traces of the metal in the sun's crust too. Now that is something which throws light on the universal existence of transition metals.

Kroll's Process and FFC Cambridge Process are the most important processes involved in the production of Titanium, though there are several other by-processes. The reason why it cannot be obtained by reduction of its dioxides is that the metal reacts with oxygen at higher temperatures.

A striking speciality observed in this new metal is that it possessed an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. The density of Titanium when compared with that of other metals of similar strength was found to be much low. When it was seen that pure titanium metal gave a strength of 434 MPa, which is equal to some of the other steel alloys, the weight was seen to be 45% less. Now that is a marked advantage waiting to get improvised upon. Add to that the high melting point of 1900K, we have a metal here which can also be used as a refractory material. Another interesting feature of Titanium is that it has a good resistance to corrosion. One would find it difficult to believe that Titanium has got similar resistance properties as that of Platinum. Acids, moist chlorine and salt water solutions have negligible effect on Titanium. This said, it is found to dissolve in concentrated acid solutions. However, Titanium is thermodynamically, a very reactive metal. It forms a passive oxide coating when exposed to elevated temperatures in air. Found to be paramagnetic, it possesses good electrical and thermal conductivity.

What crowns Titanium over its transition counterparts is the variety of application involved. Titanium dioxide is used as a permanent white pigment in paper, toothpaste, paints, enamel, laquer and plastic. However, the metal is seen to be used almost anywhere and everywhere. It is used in propeller shafts in jet engines, aircrafts, armour plating, naval ships, spacecrafts, missiles, helicopter exhaust ducts, hydraulic systems, shafts and rigging of heat exchangers of desalination plants, heat chillers for salt water aquariums, fishing lines, diver knives, human implants, bone supports, matrix composites, thin wall condenser tubing, topside water management systems, flue gas desulphurization for pollution control, PTA plants for polyester production, pressure vessels, hydrometallurgical autoclaves, substrate for hard-disk drives, lacrosse stick shafts, spectacles frames, anodes, cell-covers, surgical instruments, bicycles, clocks, tennis racquet and many more.

Interestingly, it is seen that Titanium is also used in modern designer jewellery. Titanium rings- including engagement rings and wedding bands are the fastest growing segments in titanium jewellery segment, because of its ability to withstand strength even after grooving and carving. Some jewellery also include diamonds with titanium, especially of the bezel type.

The golf industry has found that the lightweight titanium club heads can be bigger than those made of steel, enlarging the "sweet spot" of the club and thus increasing distance and accuracy. That would be a golfer's delight.

It's not surprising to know that Titanium is famously known as the 'Wonder Metal'। A marvel of a metal indeed.