GB735597A - Improvements in production of titanium monoxide - Google Patents

Abstract

Titanium monoxide is produced by forming an intimate mixture composed of substantially stoichiometric amounts of finely divided titanium sesquixoide and titanium carbide, heating the mixture to a temperature of at least 1400 DEG C., preferably 1500 DEG to 1750 DEG C., in an inert atmosphere, removing the resulting evolved carbon monoxide, and recovering the residual titanium monoxide. The titanium sesquioxide may be produced by forming an intimate mixture of finely divided titanium carbide and magnesium oxide, zinc oxide or calcium oxide, the amount of carbide being at least stoichiometrically equivalent to that of the oxide, heating the mixture to a temperature within the range of 1000 DEG to 1200 DEG C. in an inert atmosphere, and removing the resulting evolved carbon monoxide and vapours of the metal component of said oxide from the residual titanium sesquioxide. The sesquioxide may also be prepared using titanium dioxide in place of the above oxides, or by reducing titanium dioxide in a stream of hydrogen at 1500 DEG C. The reactants are preferably ground to a particle size of - 325 mesh (Tyler Standard), and the titanium carbide preferably reduced to a particle size of about 1 micron or less; the reactants may then be compacted into pellets, water being used as a temporary binder. The titanium carbide used should be treated for the removal of iron, e.g. by adding hydrochloric acid to a slurry of the finely divided titanium carbide and subsequently washing the resulting chloride from the solid titanium carbide. Graphite may be removed by froth flotation, but a sufficient additional quantity of sesquioxide to combine with the graphite may alternatively be added to the reaction mixture. During the reaction between the titanium sesquioxide and the titanium carbide, carbon monoxide is removed, e.g. by maintaining the reaction zone under a vacuum of 10 mm., preferably about 50 to 100 microns of mercury, or by sweeping the reaction zone with an inert gas such as argon or helium. When the reaction between the titanium sesquioxide and the titanium carbide is preceded by oxidation of titanium carbide to titanium sesquioxide, a residual excess of titanium carbide in the titanium sesquioxide reaction product may be used in part or wholly as the titanium carbide which is reacted with titanium sesquioxide. Examples are given, with full operational details. Specification 711,077 is referred to.