Titanium

If you enjoy thinking about elements as being associated with a particular country, then my British readers will especially like today's element since it was discovered in Cornwall. Today's element is Titanium, Ti, which has the atomic number 22. Titanium is a silver-coloured and low-density transition metal that is light weight, very strong and highly corrosion resistant. These qualities probably inspired its name, which honours the Titans of Greek mythology. Predictably, titanium has an astonishing array of uses and applications. A large proportion of mined titanium is used by the aerospace industry and for military applications. However, most people are probably familiar with titanium because they use it every day: in jewelry, in bicycle frames and components, as dental and orthopaedic implants, and to whiten toothpastes and create brilliant white fireworks. Here's a fascinating video clip from a Science Channel programme that shows how pure titanium is manufactured: You've already met these elements: Scandium : Sc , atomic number 21 Calcium : Ca , atomic number 20 Potassium : K , atomic number 19 Argon : Ar , atomic number 18 Chlorine : Cl , atomic number 17 Sulfur : S , atomic number 16 Phosphorus : P , atomic number 15 Silicon : Si , atomic number 14 Aluminium : Al , atomic number 13 Magnesium : Mg , atomic number 12 Sodium : Na , atomic number 11 Neon : Ne , atomic number 10 Fluorine : F , atomic number 9 Oxygen : O , atomic number 8 Nitrogen : N , atomic number 7 Carbon : C , atomic number 6 Boron : B , atomic number 5 Beryllium : Be , atomic number 4 Lithium : Li , atomic number 3 Helium : He , atomic number 2 Hydrogen : H , atomic number 1 Here's a wonderful interactive Periodic Table of the Elements that is just really really fun to play with! . email: [email protected] twitter: @ GrrlScientist