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Impact Of Titanium In Medicine

Decent Essays

Amelia M. Lamberty
Monday, May 1, 2017
FS 162: Science That Changed History
Dr. Heroux
Impact of Titanium in Medicine
My family has seen the impact of titanium firsthand. My father had an ankle replacement, my mother had a lumbar implant, and I had a knee replacement; they all have titanium. I like to joke that we are a bionic family. I find it even funnier, and sometimes frustrating, that we beep at the checkpoints in airports. It is pretty interesting that we can all relate in some odd and comical manner. Titanium has proven to be a very useful and impactful mineral in today’s world.
Titanium was discovered in 1791 in the mineral menachanite by the British clergyman William Gregor, who named the new element “menachite”. Four years later, …show more content…

Titanium is a transition metal with a light, white-silvery-metallic color. It is strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant. Pure titanium is not soluble in water but is soluble in concentrated acids. This metal forms a passive but protective oxide coating, which leads to corrosion-resistance, when exposed to elevated temperatures in air but at room temperatures it resists tarnishing. Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and is primarily found in the minerals rutile (TiO2), ilmenite (FeTiO3) and sphene (CaTiSiO5). Titanium makes up about 0.57% of the Earth's crust. Titanium is a strong, light metal. It is as strong as steel and twice as strong as aluminum, but is 45% lighter than steel and only 60% heavier than aluminum.
The high strength, low weight, outstanding corrosion resistance possessed by titanium and titanium alloys have led to a wide and diversified range of successful applications which demand high levels of reliable performance in surgery and medicine as well as in aerospace, automotive, chemical plant, power generation, oil and gas extraction, sports, and other major …show more content…

There is no more challenging use in this respect than implants in the human body. Here, the effectiveness and reliability of implants, and medical and surgical instruments and devices is an essential factor in saving lives as well as in the long term relief of suffering and pain. Implantation of other metals represents a potential assault on the chemical, physiological and mechanical structure of the human body. There is nothing comparable to a titanium implant in living tissue. Most metals in body fluids and tissue are found in stable organic complexes. Corrosion of implanted metal by body fluids, results in the release of unwanted metallic ions, with likely interference in the processes of life. Titanium is judged to be completely inert and immune to corrosion by all body fluids and tissue, and is thus wholly bio-compatible.
The natural selection of titanium for implantation is determined by a combination of most favorable characteristics including immunity to corrosion, bio-compatibility, strength, low density and the capacity for joining with bone and other tissue, known as osseointegration. The mechanical and physical properties of titanium alloys combine to provide implants which are highly damage

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