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What are the chemical and physical properties of titanium metal?

Titanium is a transition metal element with the chemical symbol Ti and an atomic number of 22. It is located in the fourth period and group IVB of the periodic table of chemical elements. There are 13 known isotopes of titanium, including Titanium-41 to Titanium-53. Among them, there are five stable isotopes of titanium: Titanium-46, Titanium-47, Titanium-48, Titanium-49, and Titanium-50. The rest of the isotopes are radioactive.
Chemical characteristics:
Titanium is a metal with relatively active chemical properties. When heated, it can interact with non-metallic substances such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, and halogens. But at room temperature, the surface of titanium is prone to forming an extremely thin, dense, inert oxide film that can repair cracks on its own. It has excellent corrosion resistance and is not corroded by nitric acid, humid chlorine gas, dilute sulfuric acid, dilute hydrochloric acid, and dilute alkali. Even aqua regia (a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid in a volume ratio of 3:1) cannot dissolve it in acid.
The protective oxide film of titanium is often formed when the metal comes into contact with water, even in small amounts of water or water vapor. If titanium is exposed to a highly oxidizing environment without any water, it will undergo rapid oxidation and violent reactions, and even spontaneous combustion is common. This phenomenon has occurred in the reaction between titanium and fuming nitric acid containing excessive nitrogen oxides, as well as between titanium and dry chlorine gas. So to prevent such reactions, a certain amount of water is necessary.
Titanium cannot be used in dry chlorine gas. Even dry chlorine gas with a temperature below 0 ℃ will undergo violent chemical reactions, producing titanium tetrachloride, which will then decompose into titanium dichloride and even burn. Titanium can only maintain reliable stability when the moisture content in chlorine gas is above 0.5%.
For safety reasons, wet and passivate with no less than 25% water during storage. Store in a cool and ventilated warehouse. Stay away from sources of fire and heat. The storage temperature should not exceed 35 ℃, the container should be kept sealed, and contact with air is strictly prohibited. It should be stored separately from oxidants, acids, halogens, etc., and avoid mixing storage. Equip with corresponding types and quantities of fire-fighting equipment. The storage area should be equipped with suitable materials to contain leaked materials.
Physical characteristics:
Elemental titanium appears silver white with a metallic luster. Powdered titanium appears gray in color.
Titanium has a high melting point (1660 ℃) and a boiling point of 3287 ℃. It has a low density (4.5g/cm ³, which is 43% lighter than steel) and good ductility. In terms of hardness, heat resistance, and electrical and thermal conductivity, it is similar to other transition metals such as iron and nickel, but much lighter than other metals with similar mechanical and heat resistance properties; The propagation speed of sound in it is 5090 m/s.
Titanium is soluble in dilute acid and insoluble in cold and hot water. Liquid titanium can dissolve almost all metals, so it can form alloys with various metals.
Titanium steel made by adding titanium to steel is tough and elastic. Titanium forms interstitial compounds or intermetallic compounds with metals such as Al, Sb, Be, Cr, Fe, etc. Titanium metal can maintain its metallic properties even after long-term use at high temperatures of 500 ℃/-253 ℃. Typically, aluminum loses its original properties at 150 ℃ and stainless steel at 310 ℃, while titanium alloys maintain good mechanical properties at around 500-600 ℃. Moreover, titanium metal can still maintain good ductility and toughness at low temperatures of -253 ℃.
Titanium is non-magnetic.
Titanium has a low thermal conductivity, only 1/5 of steel, 1/13 of aluminum, and 1/25 of copper.
The anti damping performance is low. When using titanium and other metal materials (copper, steel) to make clocks of the same shape and size, striking each clock with the same force will reveal that clocks made of titanium oscillate for a long time, meaning that the energy given to the clock by striking is not easily dissipated. Therefore, we say that titanium has low damping performance.
1940: Luxembourg scientist W J. Kroll reduced TiCl4 with magnesium to produce pure titanium. From then on, the magnesium reduction method (also known as the Crowell method) and the sodium reduction method (also known as the Hunter method) became industrial methods for producing sponge titanium. In 1948, the United States began industrial production of titanium by using magnesium reduction method to produce 2 tons of sponge titanium.
According to statistics, at present, the annual amount of titanium used for space travel in the world has exceeded one thousand tons. Extremely fine titanium powder is still a good fuel for rockets, so titanium is known as the cosmic metal and space metal.
The Development History of Titanium in China
1. Initial stage (1950s -1978):
In the 1950s, China began to enter the titanium industry mainly to meet the needs of national defense construction. During this period, the country invested a large amount of resources in basic research and technological development of the titanium industry, and built sponge titanium and titanium processing production plants in Zunyi and Baoji respectively, laying the foundation for the subsequent development of China's titanium industry.
During this stage, the development was relatively slow, the technological level was relatively low, and the production scale was small. However, a breakthrough was achieved from scratch, and the development strategy goals of the titanium industry were determined. Various experiments were carried out, and a certain amount of experience was accumulated in the production process and equipment research and development of titanium materials.
2. Growth stage (1979-2000):
After the reform and opening up, China's titanium industry entered a growth stage. During this period, domestic titanium enterprises began to introduce advanced technology and equipment from abroad, continuously improving their production capacity and technological level. At the same time, with the rapid development of the national economy, the application of titanium materials in traditional fields such as chemical, power, and metallurgy is gradually expanding, and market demand is constantly increasing.
Zunyi Titanium Plant has become one of the largest sponge titanium plants in China with a scale of 5000 tons. Baotai Group's titanium processing capabilities have also significantly improved, and the demand for sponge titanium in the market is showing a sustained growth trend.
3. Rapid development stage (around 2001-2010):
At the beginning of the 21st century, China's titanium industry ushered in a period of rapid development. In 2006, China's sponge titanium production exceeded the 10000 ton mark for the first time, approaching 20000 tons. By 2010, China's sponge titanium production reached 57770 tons. During this period, the number of sponge titanium factories increased from 2 to over 10, and the annual production capacity rapidly increased to over 150000 tons.
The rapid development of the titanium industry has also brought some problems, such as rapid expansion of production capacity, disorderly competition leading to significant fluctuations in sponge titanium prices, and market supply-demand imbalance.
4. Adjustment phase (around 2011-2015):
From 2011 to 2015, China's titanium industry entered a period of adjustment. Due to the rapid expansion of production capacity in the early stage, the growth of market demand could not keep up with the speed of capacity growth, resulting in an increase in sponge titanium production, an increase in market demand, and a significant decline in prices, making it difficult for titanium and titanium processing material enterprises to survive.
During this period, some titanium enterprises went bankrupt or were merged and restructured, and the industry began to self adjust and optimize. Enterprises paid more attention to product quality and technological innovation to improve market competitiveness.
5. Recovery and Upgrade Stage (2016 present):
Around the Spring Festival of 2016, the sponge titanium market began to gradually recover, with both production and prices increasing. With the country's emphasis on high-end manufacturing and the rapid development of emerging industries such as aerospace, marine engineering, and new energy, the demand for titanium materials continues to increase, and China's titanium industry has ushered in new development opportunities.
In recent years, Chinese titanium enterprises have continuously strengthened technological innovation, improved product quality and added value, and expanded application fields. For example, in the aerospace field, titanium alloys are widely used in aircraft structural components, engine parts, etc; In the field of ocean engineering, titanium materials are used to manufacture nuclear submarines, deep-sea submersibles, seawater pipelines, and more. At the same time, enterprises are also strengthening the collaborative cooperation between upstream and downstream of the industrial chain to enhance the overall development level of the industry.

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