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Titanium is made using the Kroll Process. This process involves a lot of stages, and needs to be done in a large industrial facility. Here's a general outline:
1. Extraction of Titanium Ore: Titanium is not found free in nature but mostly in minerals such as rutile (titanium dioxide) and ilmenite (iron titanium oxide). These minerals are extracted from sands and ores.
2. Production of Titanium Tetrachloride: The extracted titanium ore is then converted into titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4). This is achieved by heating the ore in a reactor with chlorine gas and coke (a type of carbon) at temperatures of around 900°C.
3. Purification: The created titanium tetrachloride is a volatile liquid. It is purified using distillation and then transported to the next stage.
4. Reduction: Titanium tetrachloride is then mixed with magnesium or sodium and heated to extreme temperatures of around 800-1000°С under an atmosphere of argon. In this process, the titanium atoms displace the magnesium or sodium atoms, resulting in the formation of pure titanium and byproduct salts.
5. Crushing and Removal of Byproducts: The produced mixture is allowed to cool and then crushed. Byproducts are separated by repeatedly reheating and breaking apart the mass until only pure sponge-like titanium is left.
6. Melting: The titanium sponge is heated until it melts, and can be alloyed with other metals such as aluminum or vanadium.
7. Casting: The molten titanium is cast into ingots ready to be shaped into whatever final form the metal will take. This may include further melting and forming.
This process should be done by professionals only, as it involves handling highly reactive and corrosive materials, and needs extremely high temperatures.
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