- Titanium is a metal that has a silver-grey appearance.
- Properties: high strength, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant, heat-resistant (due to high melting point), and biocompatible (compatible with living tissues and has low reactivity with the human body).
- Occurrence: found in nature only as an oxide, not in its pure metallic form.
- It is found in various minerals, rocks, and soils. It is also present in plants, animals, natural waters, deep-sea dredgings, meteorites, and stars.
- Ores: The most abundant titanium ore is ilmenite. Other titanium ores include rutile and titanite.
- Ilmenite: It is an iron-black, heavy, metallic oxide mineral. It is composed of iron and titanium oxide. It is commonly found in igneous rocks.
- Rutile: It has a distinctive reddish-brown colour and a higher titanium dioxide content than ilmenite. It occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks and is often found in association with ilmenite.
- Titanite: It is a calcium titanium silicate mineral. It is green, yellowish-green, brown, or black in colour. It is commonly found in metamorphic and igneous rocks.
- Top Producers of Titanium: 1st China > 2nd Russia > 3rd Japan > 4th Kazakhstan > 5th Ukraine
- Uses: nuclear applications, defence, aerospace, marine, and construction industries, high-performance alloys, electrical goods, medical implants, and jewellery.
- An oxide is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom bonded to one or more other elements. Oxides are formed when an element reacts with oxygen.
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