Most titanium is now made by the Kroll process, in which titanium dioxide is reacted with chlorine to form titanium etrachloride, which is then reacted with magnesium to strip away the chlorine and leave behind the pure metal. Because the metal has multitudes of pores, it is called titanium "sponge.

What is titanium made out of?

Titanium is obtained from various ores that occur naturally on the earth. The primary ores used for titanium production include ilmenite, leucoxene, and rutile. Other notable sources include anatase, perovskite, and sphene. Ilmenite and leucoxene are titaniferous ores.

Why titanium is so expensive?

But why is it so expensive? Titanium cannot be extracted by using carbon to reduce the ore as it forms titanium carbide making the metal very brittle. ... It is the complexity of this process and the energy expended in production that gives titanium its high market price.