Titanium

C1aL13 Titanium and Copper
Key Words Corrosion - rotting away of metals due to oxidisation Displacement - pushing out of the way Ore - mineral from which a metal is extracted. Properties - features of the element. Reactive - reacts readily with other substances. Rutile - titanium ore. Titanium - a transition metal with atomic number of 22, and mass number 48. Titanium dioxide - TiO₂ Click HERE to go to copper



Grade E Titanium is a light metal which has the following properties: Very strong; Easy to shape; Low density; Very corrosion resistant; Can withstand high temperatures. It is used widely in aeroplanes as an alloy with aluminium. It is also used in artificial hip replacements. Although it is very abundant, it is difficult to extract form its ore, rutile.
Grade C Titanium is a very reactive metal. It rapidly produces a layer of titanium dioxide which acts as a tough coat (like aluminium) and it is very resistant to corrosion or other chemical attack. The ore, rutile, is a form of titanium oxide. It cannot be reduced using carbon, as titanium is far more reactive than carbon. There are two stages to the extraction process: React the titanium dioxide with carbon and chlorine to give titanium chloride, TiCl₄. TiCl₄ does not conduct electricity as its bonds are covalent, not ionic. Therefore it is reacted with magnesium which is more reactive, and snatches away the chlorine to leave titanium metal. This is a displacement reaction. In word equations: titanium dioxide + carbon + chlorine ® titanium chloride + carbon dioxide titanium chloride + magnesium ® magnesium chloride + titanium
Grade A The equations above in symbols are: titanium dioxide + carbon + chlorine ® titanium chloride + carbon dioxide TiO₂ + C +2Cl₂ ® TiCl4 + CO₂ titanium chloride + magnesium ® magnesium chloride + titanium TiCl₄ + 2Mg ® 2MgCl₂ + Ti The second reaction has to be done in a vacuum or an inert atmosphere to prevent an rapid reaction between the titanium and the oxygen in the air.