Titanium

History -Discovered in 1791 in Cornwall by amateur geologist William Gregor, who found a new metal oxide but did not name it. -Discovered separately four years later by another German geologist Martin Heinrich Klaproth, who gave it its current name after the Titans of Ancient Greek mythology. -Pure titanium was not produced until 1910, by a new process called the Hunter process (named after the chemist who pioneered it) -Not used outside of experimentation until the Cold War, when both sides (USSR first) began developing it for various weapons systems (i.e. submarines and high-performance aircraft/spacecraft). -Now widely used in the aerospace industry, as well as medical purposes Chemical Properties -Molecular Formula: Ti -Electron Configuration: 2, 8, 10, 2 -Found in Rutile(TiO2) and Ilmenite(FeTiO3) -Pure titanium does not exist naturally and must be refined from different ores found in the earths crust. -Powdered titanium may suddenly combust when free in the air. -Powder is toxic if inhaled. -Current method of refinement is the Kroll Process. -Involves taking Rutile or Ilmenite and reducing it with coke in a fluidized bed reactor. -This compound is then exposed to chlorine gas, resulting in a mix of titanium tetrachloride(TiCl4) and other chlorides, which are then fractionally distilled out, leaving pure titanium tetrachloride. -This is then reduced in another reactor with liquid magnesium to produce magnesium dichloride and pure titanium, as show: 2Mg(l)+TiCl4(g)2MgCl2(l) +Ti(s) -Solid at room temperature. -Melts at 1668C, boils at 3287C. -Not souluble. -Incredibly strong but still malleable. -Resistant to corrosion. Social and Cultural Impacts -Titanium has been extremely important in the development of aerospace engineering, and thus effected all things they have (i.e. speed of travel, space breakthroughs etc.) -Legislation introduced to deal with waste left from the refinement process. -No significant environmental effects have been found.