The discovery of titanium in 1791 is attributed to William Gregor, a Cornish vicar and amateur chemist. He isolated an impure oxide from ilmenite (FeTiC>3 ) by treatment with HCI and   H.2.SO4.

Titanium is the second most abundant transition metal on Earth ( 6320 ppm ) and plays a vital role as a material of construction because of its :

For example, when it's alloyed with 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium, titanium has half the weight of steel and up to four times the strength.

Whilst a biological function in man is not known, it has excellent biocompatibility - -that is the ability to be ignored by the human body's immune system- -and an extreme resistanse to corrosion.

Properties of Titanium

Medical Applications
The high strength, low weight, outstanding corrosion resistanse possessed by titanium and titanium alloys have led to a wide and diversified range of successful applications which demand high levels of reliable performance in surgery and medicine .

Titanium Performance in Medical Applications
'Fit and forget', is an essential requirement where equipment in critical applications, onse installed, cannot readily be maintained or replaced. There is no more challenging use in this respect than implants in the human body. Here, the effectiveness and reliability of implants,and medical and surgical instrument and devices is an essential factor in saving lives and in the long term relief of suffering and pain.

Implantation represent a potential assault on the chemical,physiological and mechanical structure of the human body.There is nothing comparable to a metallic implant in living tissue. Most metals in body fluids and tissue are found in stable organic complexes. Corrosions of implanted metal by body fluids, results in the release of unwanted metallic ions.with likely interference in the processes of life.Corrosion resistance is not sufficient of itself to suppress the body's reaction to cell toxic metals or allergenic elements such as nichel , and even in very small concentrations from a minimum level of corrosion, these may initiate rejection reactions.Titanium is judged to be completely inert and immune to corrosion by all body fluids and tissue, and is thus wholly bio-compatible.

Titanium Medical Specifications
Forms and material specifications are detailed in a number of international and domestic specifications, including ASTM-F67 and BS7252 / ISO 5832 examples below :

SUMMARY OF MOST COMMON TITANIUM GRADES / ALLOYS FOR BIOMEDICAL USE

Data is intended for guidance only - referance should be made to the applicable specifications for precise information