Titanium

What is titanium?

Titanium is the 22nd element in the periodic table of elements. First discovered in 1791 by William Gregor of England, it was named for the Latin titans, which, in mythology, are the first sons of Earth. The name is appropriate, as pure titanium is a beautiful white metal with low density and very high strength and high corrosion resistance.

 This being the case, it is resistant to most acids, gases, and chloride solutions. The only thing that harms titanium is when it is free of oxygen. Titanium burns in air and is the only known element that burns in nitrogen.

What is titanium used for?
Titanium is used for many things, including:

• Prevention of cathodic corrosion
• Surgery of the human body. Since it is already in the human body, it is one of the few safe metals to use during dangerous surgeries. It is non-toxic to the body, unlike some other elements.
• Titanium DIOXIDE is used to make man-made gemstones. However, the gems are usually very soft and not very good.
• Titanium dioxide is very bright white pigment, and is used to make high-quality wall and artist paint. It is also used in napkins and toothpaste.The paint is an excellent reflector of infrared radiation, and because of this, is often used in solar observatories. The paint is also permanent.
• Because the metal burns in oxygen, titanium is often used to produce smoke screens.

Where is titanium found?
Titanium is the 9th most abundant element in the earth's crust. It is almost always found in igneous rocks. It occurs in rutile, ilmenite, sphene, and many other iron ores and titanates. Titanium is also found in coal, ash, plants, and even in the human body. Titanium is found in the sun and in meteorites. Rocks from the Apollo 17 mission to the moon contained up to 12.1% titanium, proving that the moon also has titanium. Rocks from earlier missions showed lower percentages of titanium.