Titanium is used in some of the world’s most challenging places.

When metal has to perform in extremely cold environments, like outer space, or in extremely hot ones, like an airplane engine, titanium can be the only metal for the job – because of its high strength and light weight. Much for the same reason, it is used in hip and knee replacements, as well as high-end jewellery and even golf clubs. 

A compound of titanium and oxygen was first discovered in 1791 by the English chemist and mineralogist William Gregor – who named the new element “Gregorite”. It was independently rediscovered four years later by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth, who named it titanium after the “Titans” of Greek mythology.

Today, titanium dioxide is often used to whiten a wide range of products, from paint and textiles to paper. This whiteness is due to the fact that titanium oxide absorbs ultraviolet rays and reflects 96% of light – why it makes our white walls whiter, and why it is used in sunscreen.