AN INVESTIGATION OF TITANIUM(III) AS A TANNING AGENT

A review of the periodic table demonstrates that while many elements m ay be capable of tanning, only a few useful options exist. One of thes e is titanium; the usual compounds for tanning agents are based on the stable (IV) oxidation state or, more empirically, the TiO2+ ion. Howe ver, there is also Ti(III) which can exist as the hexaaquotitanium (II I) ion, [Ti(H2O)(6)](3+), a metastable oxidation state with the potent ial for tanning. A literature search has revealed a dearth of informat ion about the complex chemistry of titanium (III). However, there are magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques available to investigate co mplex formation. The reaction between Ti(III) and vegetable tannin has been investigated and a method to determine the titanium content of l eathers developed.