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A Titanium Atom Model Project

Titanium ̵1; a transition metal ̵1; serves as a useful tool in many alloys, used in items such as airplanes and bridges. When turned into titanium dioxide and titanium oxide, the element is used as a paint pigment. The relatively large atom ̵1; at least when compared to common elements such as carbon, oxygen and hydrogen ̵1; makes for an excellent model project, as there are lots of dynamics to explain.

Protons
- The first place to start with a model project of titanium is with the center and densest point of the atom ̵1; the nucleus. The nucleus consists of both protons and neutrons. You can quickly discern the number of protons by viewing the element̵7;s number on the periodic table, which in the case of titanium is 22. Each proton has a weight of roughly 1,800 times that of a single electron. For your project, you can create proton spheres out of Play-Doh and then place them around a Styrofoam ball.
Neutrons
- In most cases, neutrons match the protons; however, for titanium, this is often not the case. Many titanium types exist in isotope form, meaning that the number of neutrons do not equal the number of protons. The different numbers of neutrons can cause the atom to behave differently. If you want to get ambitious with your project model, you can depict a few different isotopes, such as ̶0;46Ti̶1; or ̶0;50Ti.̶1; For whichever version you choose to make, create small spheres of Play-Doh (a different color from the protons) and place them also around the Styrofoam center, mixed in with the protons.
Electrons
- Although models typically show electrons in a ̶0;ball-like̶1; form, which orbit in a circle, this assumption is incorrect, as electrons orbit in a cloud-like fashion, acting as globules of energy. The titanium atom uses four shells. The first shell holds two electrons, the second shell consists of eight electrons, the third shell holds 10 and the fourth shell only contains two electrons. Use either pipe cleaners or four different sized metal rings to represent the electron shells. Wrap the electrons (a third color of Play-Doh) around the shells in the appropriate positions. To make the model float, use fishing line attached to the nucleus and each orbital shell and attach it either to the ceiling or to a flat surface placed overhead, such as dense cardboard or plastic.
History
- To enhance a project, it might be useful to provide a few common facts on the atom. Titanium weighs close to 48 Atomic Mass Units on average. The discovery of titanium dates back to the end of the 18th century. The titanium element is commonly found in meteorites from space, as well as within the crust of the earth.

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