• Briefly, what do I need to know about titanium dioxide in an emergency situation?
• Where do you find titanium dioxide?
• What should I know about the composition and purity of titanium dioxide?
• What are some synonyms for titanium dioxide?
• With so many names for titanium dioxide, is there a unique identifier for this chemical?

Briefly, what do I need to know about titanium dioxide in an emergency situation?

Titanium dioxide is a white powder or fine, needle-like crystals. Naturally occurring titanium dioxide crystals usually contain small amounts of impurities, which darken the colour. It is non-combustible. Titanium dioxide is a POSSIBLE CANCER HAZARD - it may cause cancer, based on animal information.

Where do you find titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide is used widely as a white pigment in liquid paints, varnishes, lacquers, floor coverings (linoleum), printing inks, coatings for paper and paperboard, plastics and elastomers, and in the rubber and leather industries; as a pigment and filler for paper; as an opacifying agent for coloured systems; and as a delusterant for a number of synthetic fibres. Electrically conducting titanium dioxide pigments are applied to fibres used in photosensitive papers for electrophotography and for the production of antistatic plastics.

The most important applications for non-pigmentary titanium dioxide are the preparation of vitreous (porcelain) enamels for coating glass, glass ceramics, aluminum, steel, cast iron, and other materials; the production of components for electronic equipment; electroceramics (such as the manufacture of miniature ceramic capacitors, PTC resistors, and piezoelectric materials); electrical conductors, varistors and electrical circuit elements; the production of various specialized titanium compounds, including titanium carbide and various titanates; as a chemical intermediate for titanium metal and titanium alloys; as a catalyst for the removal of nitrogen oxides from waste gases from power stations and industry and for reducing the nitrogen oxide content of exhaust gases; as an ultraviolet absorber in sunscreen products; for soaps, cosmetic powders, creams, toothpaste; in the formulation of topical and oral pharmaceuticals; as a colourant in foods; in welding fluxes; as a component of porcelain enamels and glazes, structural ceramics, and refractory coatings; and as a ceramic sensor for oxygen in automotive exhaust systems. Both anatase and rutile forms are used for welding-rod coatings.

What should I know about the composition and purity of titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide occurs naturally in 3 crystalline forms: anatase (CAS No. 1317-70-0), brookite (specific CAS No. not assigned) and rutile (CAS No. 1317-80-2). Rutile and anatase are produced industrially in large quantities.

Titanium dioxide usually contains small amounts of aluminum, silica (quartz), zinc, antimony and iron oxides. Sometimes it contains very small amounts (in the parts per million concentration range) of metals (e.g. iron, chromium, vanadium, niobium, and tantalum), and traces of tin, chromium, and molybdenum compounds.

What are some synonyms for titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide is also known as Anatase; Brookite; C.I. 77891; Rutile; TiO2; Titania; Titanic acid anhydride; Titanic anhydride; Titanium oxide; Titanium (IV) oxide; Titanium peroxide; and Titanium white.

With so many names for titanium dioxide, is there a unique identifier for this chemical?

Its CAS Registry Number is 13463-67-7. This number is assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) in the United States and is used as a unique identifier number worldwide.

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Document last updated on March 9, 2007

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