  Rough titanium metal in slag.
For a recent Popular Science article I made titanium metal by thermite reduction. (This page has a detailed description of how it's done by the guy who invented this particular method.) The results were spectacular in terms of fire and heat, so-so in terms of actual metal produced. Shown here are several examples of the slag and metal from these reactions. The crystals are some combination of garnet, sapphire, and maybe fluorite, which come from the bi-products of the reaction. Crystals can form because the reaction is so hot that it creates not only molten titanium but also molten aluminum oxide, molten calcium fluoride, not to mention molten flower pot if that's what you're running the reaction in.
Source: Theodore Gray
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 30 October, 2008
Text Updated: 31 October, 2008
Price: $1
Size: 1"
Purity: <90%
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