Titanium

Abstract

Elemental titanium has become famous as a space age metal because of its high strength/weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. However, the major use is titanium dioxide pigment which because of its whiteness, high refractive index, and resulting light-scattering ability is unequaled for whitening paints, paper, rubber, plastics, and other materials. A relatively minor use is in welding rod coatings, in the form of the mineral rutile. The section discusses geology, mineralogy, and deposits.