Titanium

Lore & Background

Titanium was discovered in Cornwall, Great Britain, by William Gregor in 1791 and was named by Martin Heinrich Klaproth after the Titans of Greek mythology. The element occurs within a number of minerals, principally rutile and ilmenite, which are widely distributed in the Earth's crust and lithosphere; it is found in almost all living things, as well as bodies of water, rocks, and soils.

In Their Own Story

The saber hums with anticipation as the opening synth chords fill the void. The first wall of red and blue blocks approaches, synchronized perfectly with the rising vocal line. As the beat drops, the player's movements become a blur, slicing through the metallic notes that seem to stretch infinitely into the distance. Every cut feels like reinforcing an armor plating against the chaos, turning the rhythm into a shield that nothing can penetrate.

Reader's Guide

The metal is extracted from its principal mineral ores by the Kroll and Hunter processes. The most common compound, titanium dioxide (TiO2), is a popular photocatalyst and is used in the manufacture of white pigments. Other compounds include titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), a component of smoke screens and catalysts; and titanium trichloride (TiCl3), which is used as a catalyst in the production of polypropylene.

Did You Know?

• Titanium can be alloyed with iron, aluminium, vanadium, and molybdenum, among other elements.
• The two most useful properties of the metal are its corrosion resistance and tensile-strength-to-density ratio, the highest of any metallic element.
• Titanium is superconducting when cooled below its critical temperature of 0.49 K.
• Titanium is the ninth-most abundant element in Earth's crust (0.63% by mass) and the seventh-most abundant metal.