Titanium Metal - Attributes And Uses

Pure titanium is a light-weight, hard, silvery-white, shiny metal.
It has distinctive strength and corrosion resistance properties and a
high strength to weight ratio.The name Titanium itself is derived from
the name of God of earth 'Titan" in Greek mythology. The name implies
strength.Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti. It has an
atomic number of 22, occupies group 4, period 4, and block d in the
periodic table and is labeled as a transition metal.Titanium is the
ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust but is by no means
found it its pure form. Its principal minerals are anatase, brookite,
ilmenite, perovskite, rutile, titanite, as well many iron ores. Rutile
and ilmenite are its economically important minerals.Substantial
deposits of ilmenite are found in Western Australia, Canada, China,
India, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, and Ukraine. Sizable
quantities of rutile are mined in North America and South Africa.The
most significant properties of Titanium are its strength, its
resistance to corrosion and it strength to weight ratio.Titanium is
45% lighter than steel but it is equally strong. It is only 60%
heavier than aluminium but is 100% stronger.Titanium is virtually as
resistant to corrosion as platinum, and is capable of withstanding
acids, salt solutions, and even the highly corrosive chlorine gas.The
benevolent blend of light weight and great strength as well as its
resistance to corrosion and heat makes it suitable for aircrafts,
spacecrafts missiles etc. In sports it is used for fabricating light
and strong rackets, bicycle frames, golf clubs etc. Titanium also
finds use in making eyewear frames, lightweight laptops, bone and
dental implants in medicine.Titanium vanadium alloys are widely used
in aviation in the manufacture of landing gear, hydraulic tubing, fire
walls, etc.But perhaps the truly commercial and mass consumption
oriented use of titanium started with the crafting of titanium jewelry
and today Titanium jewelry sector is among the fastest growing market
sector in jewelry industries.Titanium is blessed with nearly all the
qualities essential to become a suitable medium for crafting jewelry.
It is strong and durable, it is resistant to rust, and it is
hypoallergenic meaning that it does not set off allergic reactions
with the skin.A gorgeous, putty-grey color differentiates titanium
from the silver, gold and platinum used in jewelry. With different
types of polishes it can be given either a matte or a shiny finish.The
position of Titanium in the periodic table (group 4, period 4, and
block d) classifies it as a transition metal. One of the typical
properties shared by all transition metals is that they are able to
form colored compounds mainly by anodizing. The process involves
creating oxide layers of different thickness and refractive properties
on the metal surface. This trait is used for crafting titanium jewelry
in virtually every color of the rainbow.Titanium is used for crafting
jewelry items like earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, wedding
bands, money clips etc.The metal is commonly viewed as a symbol of
strength and indestructibility and this has made titanium wedding
bands a preferred choice for couples who want their marriages to
remain as strong and indestructible.There is a certain mystical
quality about titanium and it seems particularly appropriate that
titanium (before it was so named) was discovered by a man of
God-Reverend William Gregor-in Cornwall, England, back in 1790. It is
also appropriate that five years later the metal was actually named
titanium, after the Titans, the Greek gods of earth by the German
chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth.