Production of titanium metal
The world's supply of titanium metal, about 4M tons per year, is made from TiCl4. The conversion t
[mp ]−25 °C(lit.) |
[bp ]135-136 °C(lit.) |
[density ]1.73 g/mL at 20 °C(lit.) |
[vapor pressure ]50 mm Hg ( 55 °C) |
[refractive index ]1.61 |
[Fp ]46 °F |
[storage temp. ]Flammables area |
[solubility ]H2O: soluble |
[Stability:]Stable. Reacts with water. Incompatible with moisture, ammonia, amines, alcohols, potassium and other chemically active metals. |
[Water Solubility ]reacts |
[Sensitive ]Moisture Sensitive |
[Merck ]14,9478 |
[CAS DataBase Reference]7550-45-0(CAS DataBase Reference) |
[NIST Chemistry Reference]Titanium tetrachloride(7550-45-0) |
[EPA Substance Registry System]7550-45-0(EPA Substance) |
Titanium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the formula TiCl4. It is an important intermediate in the production of titanium metal and the pigment titanium dioxide. TiCl4 is an unusual example of a metal halide that is highly volatile. Upon contact with humid air, it forms spectacular opaque clouds of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and hydrogen chloride (HCl).
Properties and structure
TiCl4 is a dense, colourless distillable liquid, although crude samples may be yellow or even red-brown. It is one of the rare transition metal halides that is a liquid at room temperature, VCl4 being another example. This property reflects the fact that TiCl4 is molecular; that is, each TiCl4 molecule is relatively weakly associated with its neighbours. Most metal chlorides are polymers, wherein the chloride atoms bridge between the metals. The attraction between the individual TiCl4 molecules is weak, primarily van der Waals forces, and these weak interactions result in low melting and boiling points, similar to those of CCl4.
