Titanates are compounds made with titanium dioxide. Star sapphires and rubies get their asterism from the titanium dioxide impurities present in them. Because of this high oxidation state, many titanium compounds have a high degree of covalent bonding. The +4 oxidation state dominates in titanium chemistry, but compounds in the +3 oxidation state are also common. When it is red hot the metal combines with oxygen, and when it reaches 550 ☌ ( 1,022 ☏ ) it combines with chlorine It also reacts with the other halogens and absorbs hydrogen. It is paramagnetic (weakly attracted to magnets) and has fairly low electrical and thermal conductivity.Įxperiments have shown that natural titanium becomes radioactive after it is bombarded with deuterons, emitting mainly positrons and hard gamma rays. Titanium is resistant to dilute sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid, along with chlorine gas, chloride solutions, and most organic acids.
It is also one of the few elements that burns in pure nitrogen gas (it burns at 800 ☌ or 1,472 ☏ and forms titanium nitride, which causes embrittlement). As a result, the metal cannot be melted in open air as it burns before the melting point is reached, so melting is only possible in an inert atmosphere or in vacuum. Titanium burns in air when heated to 1200 ☌ ( 2,200 ☏ ) and in pure oxygen when heated to 610 ☌ ( 1,130 ☏ ) or higher, forming titanium dioxide. When it first forms, this protective layer is only 1-2 nm thick but continues to slowly grow reaching a thickness of 25 nm in four years. This metal forms a passive and protective oxide coating (leading to increased corrosion-resistance) when exposed to elevated temperatures in air, but at room temperatures it resists tarnishing. While the following pourbaix diagram shows that titanium is thermodynamically a very reactive metal, it is slow to react with water and air. The most noted chemical property of titanium is its excellent resistance to corrosion it is almost as resistant as platinum, capable of withstanding attack by acids, moist chlorine in water but is soluble in concentrated acids. This phase is usually hexagonal (ideal) or trigonal (distorted) and can be viewed as being due to a soft longitudinal acoustic phonon of the beta phase causing collapse of (111) planes of atoms. Similar to zirconium and hafnium, an additional omega phase exists, which is thermodynamically stable at high pressures, but which may exist metastably at ambient pressures. The specific heat of the alpha form increases dramatically as it is heated to this transition temperature but then falls and remains fairly constant for the beta form regardless of temperature. The metal is a dimorphic allotrope with the hexagonal alpha form changing into the body-centered cubic (lattice) beta form at 882 ☌ ( 1,619 ☏ ). Like those made from steel, titanium structures have a fatigue limit which guarantees longevity in some applications. Machining requires precautions, as the material will soften and gall if sharp tools and proper cooling methods are not used.
It is fairly hard although not as hard as some grades of heat-treated steel, non-magnetic and a poor conductor of heat and electricity. However, titanium loses strength when heated above 430 ☌ ( 800 ☏ ). Certain titanium alloys (e.g., Beta C) achieve tensile strengths of over 200,000 psi (1380 MPa). Titanium can be used for multiple reasons. Titanium is 60% more dense than aluminium, but more than twice as strong as the most commonly used 6061-T6 aluminium alloy. The relatively high melting point (over 1,649 ☌ or 3,000 ☏ ) makes it useful as a refractory metal.Ĭommercial (99.2% pure) grades of titanium have ultimate tensile strength of about 63,000 psi (434 MPa), equal to that of some steel alloys, but are 45% lighter. It is a strong metal with low density that is quite ductile (especially in an oxygen-free environment), lustrous, and metallic-white in color. Looking for a valve in this exotic alloy? Find it in the following configurations: Ball, Butterfly, Cast, Check, Control, Cryogenic, Custom made, Foot, Forged, Gate, Globe, Needle, Plug, and Safety relief, as well as Strainers.Īlloy Valve Stockist supplies industrial titanium gate, globe, check, ball, butterfly, plug, needle and custom made valves.Īs a valve stockist, we stock, supply and distribute valves in exotic materials such as titanium, hastelloy, duplex, super duplex, monel, incoloy, inconel, alloy 20, 254 SMO, 6 Moly,tantalum, zirconium, uranus, 904L both in stock and can also deliver against tight lead times.Ī metallic element, titanium is recognized for its high strength-to-weight ratio.