Aluminum vs titanium
In the world we live in, there are numerous chemical elements that are responsible for the composition of all the non-living things around us. Most of these elements are natural, that is, they occur naturally whereas the rest are synthetic; that is, they do not occur naturally and are artificially made. The periodic table is a very useful tool when studying elements. It is actually a tabular arrangement that displays all the chemical elements; the organization being on the basis of the atomic number, the electronic configurations and some specific recurring chemical properties. Two of the elements that we have picked up from the periodic table for comparison are aluminium and titanium.
To begin with, aluminium is a chemical element that has the symbol Al and is in the boron group. It has an atomic of 13, that is, it has 13 protons. Aluminium, as many of us know, belongs to the category of metals and has a silvery white appearance. It is soft and ductile. After oxygen and silicon, aluminium is the 3rd most abundant element in the crust of the Earth. It makes up almost 8% (by weight) of the solid surface of the Earth.
On the other hand, titanium is also a chemical element but it is not a typical metal. It belongs to the category of transition metals and has the chemical symbol Ti. It has an atomic number of 22 and has a silver appearance. It is known for its high strength and low density. What characterizes titanium is the fact that it is very resistant to corrosion in chlorine, sea water and aqua regia.
Let us compare the two elements on the basis of their physical properties. Aluminium is a malleable metal and is lightweight. Approximately, aluminium has a density that is about one-third that of steel. This means that for the same volume of steel and aluminium, the latter has one-third the mass. This characteristic is very important for a number of applications of aluminium. In fact, this quality of having a low weight is the reason aluminium is used so widely in the making of aircrafts. Its appearance varies from silver to dull grey. Its actual appearance depends on the roughness of the surface. This means that the colour gets closer to silver for a smoother surface. Moreover, it is not magnetic and does not even ignite easily. Aluminium alloys are used widely due to their strengths, which are far greater than the strength of pure aluminium.
Titanium is characterized by its high strength to weight ratio. It is quite ductile in an oxygen free environment and has a low density. Titanium has a very high melting point, which is even greater than 1650 degrees Centigrade or 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it very useful as a refractory metal. It has fairly low thermal and electrical conductivity and is paramagnetic. Commercial grades of titanium have a tensile strength about 434 MPa but are less dense. Compared to aluminium, titanium is about 60% more dense. However, it has double the strength of aluminium. The two have very different tensile strengths as well.
Summary of differences expressed in points
1. Aluminium is a metal whereas titanium is a transition metal
2. Aluminium has an atomic number of 13, or 13 protons; Titanium has an atomic number of 22, or 22 protons
3. Aluminium has the chemical symbol Al; Titanium has the chemical symbol Ti.
4. Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust whereas Titanium is the 9th most abundant element
5 . Aluminium is not magnetic; Titanium is paramagnetic
6. Aluminium is cheaper compared to Titanium
7. The characteristic of aluminium that is very important in its uses is its light weight and low density, which is one-third that of steel; the characteristic of titanium that is important in its uses is its high strength and high melting point, above 1650 degrees centigrade
8. Titanium has double the strength of aluminium
9. Titanium is about 60% denser than aluminium
2. Aluminium has a silvery white appearance that varies from silver to dull grey depending on the roughness of the surface (normally more towards silver for smoother surfaces) 10. hereas titanium has a silver appearance
Post time: May-19-2020