Titanium

written by: Ralph Watkins; article published: year 2009, month 12;

In: Root » Education and reference » Science and research

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Titanium- (pronounced, tye-TAY-nee-em) is a chemical element with the symbol TI and atomic number 22. Sometimes called the spaced age metal.

Named for the Titans, sons of the Greek gods, Titanium, was discovered in Cornwall, England, in 1791 by an amateur geologist William Gregor. In the 1940's, it was used by the space and defense industries. Today, titanium is used in aerospace applications, automobiles, prosthetics, buildings and sporting equipment.

Only 5 percent of the titanium mined today is used in its pure metal form. The remainder is used to manufacture titanium dioxide (TiO2), an ingredient in paper, paint, plastics and white food coloring (including the coloring that is used to print the "m"s on M&M candies).

When pure, titanium is a lustrous, grayish white metal. It has a low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has excellent corrosion resistance. Titanium is mainly used in jewelry as an accent metal in Men's wedding bands and watches. A ring made from titanium is very light and comfortable, as well as hypoallergenic. Its inertness and ability to be attractively colored also make titanium a popular metal for use in body piercing.

Titanium is a lightweight metal that has a very high strength to weight ratio, and high tensile strength. Two of its most notable features are that it has excellent corrosion resistance, and is non-toxic. These features have allowed titanium to be used in a vast array of medical applications.

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