Titanium white is a long-lasting, all-purpose white paint that’s known for its opacity, brilliance, and brightness. Its main pigment is titanium dioxide, which reflects 97.2 percent of all available light in its pure form. Titanium dioxide is used in a variety of industrial and artistic applications.
Titanium is derived from the Latin word Titan, which is derived from the Greek word Tito, which means “day” or “sun.” Titanium white is made from the minerals anatase and rutile and is non-toxic and chemically stable. Titanium dioxide, the color pigment, was first discovered in 1821, but the modern technology required to mass produce it was not available until 1916. Titanium Pigment Corporation of Niagara Falls, New York, and Titan Company AS of Norway both began mass production of the pigment in 1916. An American manufacturer was the first to introduce an oil paint containing this pigment that could be used for artistic purposes in 1921.
Titanium white’s masstone is somewhere between lead white and zinc white, neither warm nor cool. It has a higher tinting strength than both lead and zinc whites, so it requires a lot of color to tint it. The paint takes longer to dry than lead white, but it dries quicker than zinc white.
Titanium white, unless mixed with the correct pigments, dries to a spongy film. To achieve a better finish, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are frequently blended. Titanium-zinc white is a common name for this mixture.
Titanium dioxide is a pigment that gives paint the opaqueness that artists desire. Artists use it to create layers of opaque white because of its excellent covering power. It also has the advantage of being less susceptible to yellowing than other white pigments. It is preferred artists because it is suitable for direct painting rather than tinting. It is recommended that artists do not use too much of this paint because it has a tendency to overpower other colors.
Titanium white of good quality for use in artwork can be costly. Cheaper brands use less titanium dioxide pigment and add inert pigments and vehicles that are less expensive. A vehicle is the oil that is used to achieve the desired consistency in the paint. In this type of paint, linseed and poppy oil are commonly used as vehicles.
Titanium dioxide is used to “color” a wide range of products in addition to titanium white. Correction fluid, toothpaste, road-marking paints, white fireworks, coatings, plastics, inks, sunblock, and tattoo pigments are all examples of where it can be found.