Elemental Sources Of Titanium

Titanium is a rare metal, but in fact it is not rare; it is the seventh most abundant in the earth's crust at 0.45%, much higher than many common metals. However, due to the active nature of titanium and the high requirements of the smelting process, people have long been unable to produce large quantities of titanium, which is categorized as a "rare" metal. The main minerals used for smelting titanium are ilmenite (FeTiO3), rutile (TiO2), and chalcocite. The ore is treated to obtain volatile titanium tetrachloride, which is then reduced with magnesium to produce pure titanium.