Titanium in Periodic Table - The Wonder Metal

Titanium is called the wonder metal because it can pack a lot of punch in a small size.
What does this mean.. ? A thin strip of Titanium is stronger than big chunks of other metals. Titanium can withstand high temperature, resist corrosion and rust, is unaffected by magnetism or electricity and cannot be damaged by acids. It takes a lot to break or damage Titanium in any way.

Titanium in nature

Titanium cannot be found separate in Nature. It is always found as its oxide. Titanium oxide was first discovered way back in 1791. Frequent reporting of Titanium proved it is abundant on Earth. In fact, Titanium is the ninth most commonly found element in Earth's crust. Many igneous rocks contain Titanium oxides. Titanium is found in meteorites, in the Sun, Moon and even in stars.

Strong expectations

Industrial world was once super excited after the discovery of Titanium. Its high strength to weight ratio meant it could replace traditional iron and steel in industries. Titanium is widely available on Earth, and is very strong. This combination means lower prices, and cheaper machines. Experts were talking about high speed, light weight super sonic Titanium jets at affordable costs.

Harsh reality

But the wonder metal did not make things easy for man. Separating titanium from its oxides was difficult, time consuming and could not be done in large quantities. It was very difficult to get pure Titanium. Scientists kept working on it hoping to find a simple extraction process. Finally, a scientist called Kroll found a way to extract titanium in 1932. Called the Kroll process, it is used till this day to get Titanium in its pure state.

After the extraction of Titanium, industries have tried to use Titanium in different ways. It is so strong that it is difficult to work with Titanium. Engineering tools cannot shape or chisel Titanium. It takes a lot of effort and time to make Titanium products, because of its strength. Titanium screwheads can break spanners, Titanium bars can break tool tips, and melting titanium for casting is difficult due to the metal's high melting point.

Applications

Today, Titanium is used in paints, tooth fillings, body implants and jewellery. Titanium coated tools are common in engineering applications. They are also used in industries like aircrafts and ship building to make engines, parts, and structural frames.

It is up to the future engineers to find better ways to work with this wonder metal.