The role of Titanium and the applications of its compounds in bioinorganic chemistry, food chemistry and pharmacy

The role of Titanium and the applications of its compounds in bioinorganic chemistry, food chemistry and pharmacy

Oral presentation

Yanislav Danchovski
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski”

It is widely supposed that Titanium has biological inactivity – it does not affect the mineral needs of the human body and there are not any enzymes in whose composition Ti takes part. This attitude towards the element comes as a result of the challenges that analytical chemistry has been facing to define the content of Titanium in the organisms. In 1939 Maillard announced his thesis on the presence of Ti in mammals’ organisms, in addition to being the ninth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. From then on, a large field for research into the bioactivity of Titanium has been spread. This led to the synthesis of many complex compounds with a prominent anticancer activity from 1979 to nowadays. Undoubtedly, the Titanium compound with the widest usage is TiO2. The psychological liaisons between the white color and cleanliness result in the broad applications of the substance as a white colourant in food products, cosmetics and medicines. It has a notable role in cosmetics not only as a pigment, but also as an active substance or a substance with a supportive function. Even though the harmlessness of TiO2 is generally claimed, recently a large discussion arose on the topic. One of the objectives of the current paper would be to provide with contemporary information on this issue and to present scientific researches into some aspects of the modern application of TiO2.