Early discoveries about titanium – timeline
Titanium is light, strong and resistant to corrosion and is the metal of the future. Explore its past in this timeline.
1791 – Titanium discovered
William Gregor, Vicar of Creed Parish in Cornwall and amateur geologist, examines magnetic sand from a local river. After removing the magnetic iron oxide and treating the residue with hydrochloric acid, he is left with an impure white oxide of a new element.
1795 – Titanium named
Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a chemist working in Germany, independently isolates a white oxide from a Hungarian mineral known as rutile. He gives the name titanium to the new metal element.
Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Klaproth (1743–1817) was a German chemist who discovered uranium, zirconium and cerium. Though he did not discover titanium, he did name it after the Titans of Greek mythology. This is an engraving by Ambroise Tardieu after an original portrait by Eberhard-Siegfried Henne.
1910 – Metal isolated from oxide
Matthew Hunter, an American chemist, isolates the metal from its oxide.
1916 – Commercial application
Titanium dioxide becomes available as a commercial product and is used as a white pigment in paints.
1932 – Titanium production breakthrough
Wilhelm Justin Kroll, from Luxembourg, produces significant quantities of titanium by combining titanium tetrachloride with calcium.
1940 – Kroll Process developed
Kroll moves to America and modifies his process to meet commercial standards. Today, titanium is produced by the “Kroll Process”.
Titanium – sponge and alloy
Titanium sponge is produced by the Kroll Process from the main ore of titanium called rutile. The sponge form undergoes further processing into alloy rod.
1948 – Commercial production
The DuPont Company is the first to produce titanium commercially.
1960s – Military applications
Russia uses titanium alloys in military and submarine applications, while America uses titanium alloys for engine parts and fuselage/wing coverings in high-performance military aircraft.
1985 – Titanium hip
The first hip replacement operation using titanium alloy implants. Titanium alloys are biocompatible, corrosion-resistant, able to carry mechanical loads and are lightweight.
2001 – Titanium heart
First artificial heart transplant operation. The metallic parts are made of titanium.
2008 – Titanium plane
Airbus A380, capable of carrying 550 passengers, weighs in at 280 tonnes – 145 tonnes of this is the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V.
Air New Zealand Airbus 320
An Air New Zealand Airbus A320 flies over New Zealand.
Find out more, in this video on titanium’s special properties.
