Interstitial elements
Encyclopedia
An interstitial element is an impurity
found in "pure" metals. The quantity of these elements affect the physical properties of the metal. They can be introduced during the manufacturing process. The most common interstitial elements are hydrogen
, carbon
, nitrogen
, and oxygen
. These elements are small enough to fit between normal crystalline lattice locations. In contrast, those element that replace locations in the crystalline structure are called substitutional elements.
An example of the effects of interstitial elements can be found in Grade 1-4 titanium
. Although the grades 1-4 are considered commercially "pure" they have varying tensile strength
among other differences. These differences are caused by the amount of interstitial elements present in the titanium.
Impurity
Impurities are substances inside a confined amount of liquid, gas, or solid, which differ from the chemical composition of the material or compound.Impurities are either naturally occurring or added during synthesis of a chemical or commercial product...
found in "pure" metals. The quantity of these elements affect the physical properties of the metal. They can be introduced during the manufacturing process. The most common interstitial elements are hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
, carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
, nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. These elements are small enough to fit between normal crystalline lattice locations. In contrast, those element that replace locations in the crystalline structure are called substitutional elements.
An example of the effects of interstitial elements can be found in Grade 1-4 titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
. Although the grades 1-4 are considered commercially "pure" they have varying tensile strength
Tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength , often shortened to tensile strength or ultimate strength, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before necking, which is when the specimen's cross-section starts to significantly contract...
among other differences. These differences are caused by the amount of interstitial elements present in the titanium.