Pure and Applied Chemistry

Abstract: Conductive TiC_xO_1–x solid solutions were prepared by carbothermic reduction of titanium dioxide. Studies were focused on the possibility of electrochemically dissolving TiC_xO_1–x in NaCl–KCl molten salt. The tail-gas from the anode was monitored during the electrolysis. It was discovered that carbon monoxide (CO) or carbon dioxide (CO₂) gases were generated, with the process being dependent upon the consumption of the TiC_xO_1–x solid solution anode materials. Furthermore, a series of electrochemical methods was used to investigate the valence state of titanium ions dissolved into molten salt when electrolyzing TiC_xO_1–x solid solutions. A significant result was that titanium ion species dissolved from the TiC_xO_1–x solid solutions, and this is changed between Ti²⁺ and Ti³⁺ depending on the electrochemically dissolving potentials. The significant result discovered in this paper will be potentially beneficial in the preparation of high-purity titanium by electrorefining TiC_xO_1–x solid solutions.