Titanium tetrachloride
Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4, titanium (IV) chloride, also called 'Tickle') is used for commercial production of pure titanium metal. Around 90% of the TiCl4 production is used to make pigment; titanium(IV) oxide (TiO2). In the pure state it is a colourless to pale yellow liquid, in the crude state it is a slight reddish-brown. Exposure can damage eyes, skin, mucous membranes, and the lungs. It reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid. It is widely used in organic chemistry as a Lewis acid, for example in the Mukaiyama aldol condensation. Crude TiCl4 is produced by the Kroll process, reacting ilmenite or rutile ore with carbon and chlorine in a furnace at 900°C. Impurities must be removed in a distillation furnace to get pure TiCl4. 2FeTiO3 + 7Cl2 + 6C -----> 2 TiCl4 + 2FeCl3 + 6CO
References - Titanium tetrachloride - Sumitomo Titanium Corporation information sheet.
- N. N. Greenwood, A. Earnshaw, Chemistry of the Elements, Pergamon Press, 1984.
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