Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] Ti in Encarta--did Hans misread?

Subject: Re: [OM] Ti in Encarta--did Hans misread?
From: "Hans van Veluwen" <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1999 13:48:12 +0200
Giles wrote:

: It was I.
:
: I never said it was in the '99 Encarta.  It must have been - oooh, ummm,
: errrrr -  a '95 or '96 version.  I did not misread it.  I read it several
times to
: be sure then did a search of the Net to see if it could possibly be correct,
but
: found nothing to corroborate the outlandish claim.

No, I did not write it, but I _do_ have a copy of the 1994 version. Yes, I
confess having a MicrobeShaft product. But it can give you some good laughs,
sometimes. For instance, when it starts, you get a cute logo, containing the
text: "Bill of rights". Yeah, right, Bill. Anyway, this is what it has to say
about Titanium:

/*******************************************************************************
*********

Titanium, metallic element, symbol Ti, one of the transition elements in group 4
(or IVb) of the periodic table (see Periodic Law); atomic no. 22, atomic wt.
47.9. Titanium melts at about 1660< C (about 3020< F), boils at about 3287< C
(about 5949< F), and has a specific gravity of 4.5.

It was discovered in 1791 in the mineral menachanite by the British clergyman
William Gregor (1761-1817), who named the new element menachite. Four years
later, the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth rediscovered the element in
the mineral rutile and named it titanium in allusion to the strength of the
mythological Greek Titans. The metal was isolated in 1910.

Properties and Occurrence

Pure titanium is silver-white in color, soluble in hot water and in sulfuric and
hydrofluoric acids, and insoluble in cold water. The metal is extremely brittle
when cold, but is readily malleable and ductile at a low red heat. It burns in
oxygen at 610< C (1130< F) to form titanium dioxide, and it burns in nitrogen at
800< C (1472< F) to form titanium nitride, TiN. Titanium exhibits valences of 4,
3, and 2, and forms the salts titanium tetrachloride, TiCl4; titanium
trichloride, TiCl3; and titanium dichloride, TiCl2. It ranks ninth in abundance
among the elements in the crust of the earth but is never found in the pure
state. It occurs as an oxide in the minerals ilmenite, FeTiO3; rutile, TiO2; and
sphene, CaO · TiO2 · SiO2.

To obtain titanium oxide, the mineral is ground and mixed with potassium
carbonate and aqueous hydrofluoric acid to yield potassium fluorotitanate,
K2TiF6. The fluorotitanate is extracted with hot water and decomposed with
ammonia. The resulting ammoniacal hydrated oxide, when ignited in a platinum
vessel, yields titanium dioxide, TiO2. Titanium is obtained in the pure form by
first treating the oxide with chlorine to form titanium tetrachloride, a
volatile liquid, and then reducing the liquid with magnesium in a closed iron
chamber to yield metallic titanium. The metal is then melted and cast into
ingots.

Uses

Because of its strength and light weight, titanium is used in metallic alloys
and as a substitute for aluminum. Alloyed with aluminum and vanadium, titanium
is used in aircraft for fire walls, outer skin, landing-gear components,
hydraulic tubing, and engine supports. The compressor blades, disks, and
housings of jet engines are also made of titanium. A commercial jet transport
uses between 318 and 1134 kg (700 and 2500 lb) of the metal. A supersonic
transport, flying at speeds between 2410 and 3220 km/hr (about 1500 and 2000
mph), uses from 14 to 45 metric tons of titanium. Titanium is also widely used
in missiles and space capsules; the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules were
made largely of titanium. Other common titanium alloys include ferrocarbon
titanium, made by reduction of ilmenite with coke in an electric furnace;
cuprotitanium, formed by reduction of rutile to which copper has been added; and
manganotitanium, produced by reduction of rutile to which manganese or oxides of
manganese have been added. The relative inertness of titanium makes it available
as a replacement for bone and cartilage in surgery and as a pipe and tank lining
in the processing of foods. It is used in heat exchangers in desalinization
plants because of its ability to withstand saltwater corrosion. In metallurgy,
titanium alloys are employed as deoxidizers and denitrogenizers to remove oxygen
and nitrogen from molten metals. Titanium dioxide, known as titanium white, is a
brilliant white pigment used in paints, lacquers, plastics, paper, textiles, and
rubber.

"Titanium," MicrobeShaft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1993 MicrobeShaft
Corporation. Copyright (c) 1993 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation

********************************************************************************
********/

I think it is safe to presume that the bottom and top of our beloved OM-4Ti's
and OM-3Ti's are made of a Titanium alloy, not pure titanium, and that it is
perfectly safe to carry them while we're having a hot shower... ;)


hnz


< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz