Perfect 👍 — next in **periodic table order** is **Titanium (Ti, atomic number 22).**
Titanium is a **strong, corrosion-resistant metal** that does **not occur free in nature**. It’s abundant in **rutile (TiO₂), ilmenite (FeTiO₃), and titaniferous magnetite**. Extraction is complex because Ti forms strong oxides.
Here are the **20 most common methods of extracting Titanium**:
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# **20 Most Common Methods of Extracting Titanium**
### **A. Industrial / Large-Scale Production**
1. **Kroll Process (TiCl₄ Reduction with Mg)** – Main industrial method for metallic titanium.
2. **Hunter Process (TiCl₄ Reduction with Na)** – Historic method; replaced by Kroll.
3. **Electrolytic Reduction of TiO₂ in Molten CaCl₂ (FFC Cambridge Process)** – Experimental / small-scale industrial.
4. **TiO₂ Chlorination (TiO₂ → TiCl₄)** – Precursor step for Kroll or Hunter processes.
5. **TiO₂ Reduction with Aluminum (Aluminothermic Process)** – Lab-scale or specialty alloys.
6. **Electrochemical Reduction of TiO₂ in Molten Salts** – Produces metallic titanium.
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### **B. Extraction from Ores**
7. **Rutile Smelting with Carbon in Electric Furnaces** – Early industrial route (produced TiC, not pure Ti).
8. **Ilmenite Smelting to Pig Iron and TiO₂** – Produces TiO₂ for pigment or TiCl₄.
9. **Sulfate Process for TiO₂ Pigment** – Converts ilmenite to TiOSO₄ → TiO₂; precursor route.
10. **Alkaline Digestion of Ilmenite** – Produces titanium compounds (TiO₂, TiO₃) for chemical use.
11. **Production of TiO₂ from Titaniferous Slag** – Byproduct from steelmaking, later reduced to TiCl₄.
12. **Fluoride-Salt Assisted Chlorination of TiO₂** – Improves TiCl₄ production efficiency.
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### **C. Laboratory / Small-Scale Methods**
13. **Reduction of TiO₂ with Calcium Hydride** – Lab-scale Ti metal production.
14. **Reduction of TiCl₄ with Alkali Metals (Na or K)** – Produces titanium powder for specialty uses.
15. **Thermal Decomposition of Ti Compounds (TiH₂, TiN)** – Experimental lab route.
16. **Electrolytic Reduction of TiO₂ in Ionic Liquids** – Research-level extraction.
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### **D. Specialized / Novel Methods**
17. **FFC Cambridge Electrochemical Reduction** – Molten CaCl₂ electrolysis, scalable for industrial titanium.
18. **Plasma Reduction of Titanium Oxides** – Produces titanium or titanium powder; experimental.
19. **Magnesiothermic Reduction of TiO₂** – Small-scale, high-purity titanium powder production.
20. **Solar-Thermal Carbothermic Reduction** – Uses concentrated sunlight for TiO₂ reduction; experimental.
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✅ **Summary:**
* **Main industrial path today:**
1. **TiO₂ chlorination → TiCl₄ → Kroll reduction with Mg → Ti metal.**
* **Historic method:** Hunter process (Na reduction).
* **Lab / experimental:** Aluminothermic, magnesiothermic, electrolytic in molten salts, plasma, or solar reduction.
* **Pigment production:** TiO₂ extraction via sulfate or chloride processes is major industrial use.
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Next in periodic order is **Vanadium (V, atomic number 23).**
Shall I continue with **20 extraction methods for Vanadium**?
