Posted: May 18, 2000 at 11:36:05: by shadowfax
: To obtain titanium oxide, the mineral is ground and mixed with potassium carbonate and aqueous hydrofluoric acid to yield potassium fluorotitanate, K2TiF6. The fluorotitanate is extracted with hot water and decomposed with ammonia. The resulting ammoniacal hydrated oxide, when ignited in a platinum vessel, yields titanium dioxide, TiO2. Titanium is obtained in the pure form by first treating the oxide with chlorine to form titanium tetrachloride, a volatile liquid, and then reducing the liquid with magnesium in a closed iron chamber to yield metallic titanium. The metal is then melted and cast into ingots.: I would say that if the dwarves could accomplish all that (if titanium is mithril) then they would have no problem finding the ore itself in either of its rough forms in either menachite, rutile or any of the others minerals it is found in. -- thanks for the information. First, a question... Does Tintanium, in it's metallic form, tarnish, rust or anything similar in exposure to air or water? Is it thinkable that Titanium could occur in a pure form naturally. If so, this could well have been the case in Moria, so saving the Dwarves from going through all the steps you describe. Possibly it could occur in small grains similar to silver or gold which can be extracted by washing? The process, as you decribe it, does sound a little complex for dwarves to have mastered it so long ago, but let's just suppose they were able to perform all these steps. The question that arises is, how did they discover that. Apart from making fireworks, we have little evidence of Dwarves having great mastery over Chemistry. I imagine, that if they did master this process, they did not discover it themselves but were taught it (maybe by Aule, who did teach them a lot of things about workling metal). As they performed the process as they had learnt it without really understanding it, they were unable to improve or adapt it in any way, and could possible work with only one particular grade or type of ore which only occurred in Moria. is that anywhere near plausible?
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