ilmenite
noun
il·men·ite
ˈil-mə-ˌnīt 
: a usually massive iron-black mineral that consists of an oxide of iron and titanium and that is a major titanium ore
Examples of ilmenite in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of our team members plans to use their new experimental lab to explore how oxygen availability in magma affects the abundance of trivalent titanium in ilmenite.
—
Emily First, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
The operation in KwaZulu-Natal province is focused on extracting zircon, rutile, ilmenite, and titanium oxide — critical ingredients in products such as paint, sunscreen, and smartphones.
—Semafor Staff, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The water-bearing ilmenite is also a useful catalyst for reacting the water with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and methane, and the Chinese team have developed a one-step process for doing so.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 July 2025
To get a sense of this, the researchers decided to focus on isolating oxygen from a mineral called ilmenite, or FeTiO3.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2025
Titanium, used in aerospace, defense and industry, is also high in demand and the U.S. is a leading importer of ilmenite.
—Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2025
The element titanium occurs within a number of iron and oxide minerals, principally rutile and ilmenite, which are widely distributed in Earth's crust.
—David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
In 2024 a team of scientists published a paper in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets showing that deposits of ilmenite, a mineral common in lunar magma, could enhance the local abundance of elements such as iron and nickel in dikes, amplifying the amount of magnetism there.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2024
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Emily First, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
The operation in KwaZulu-Natal province is focused on extracting zircon, rutile, ilmenite, and titanium oxide — critical ingredients in products such as paint, sunscreen, and smartphones.
—Semafor Staff, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The water-bearing ilmenite is also a useful catalyst for reacting the water with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and methane, and the Chinese team have developed a one-step process for doing so.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 July 2025
To get a sense of this, the researchers decided to focus on isolating oxygen from a mineral called ilmenite, or FeTiO3.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2025
Titanium, used in aerospace, defense and industry, is also high in demand and the U.S. is a leading importer of ilmenite.
—Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2025
The element titanium occurs within a number of iron and oxide minerals, principally rutile and ilmenite, which are widely distributed in Earth's crust.
—David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
In 2024 a team of scientists published a paper in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets showing that deposits of ilmenite, a mineral common in lunar magma, could enhance the local abundance of elements such as iron and nickel in dikes, amplifying the amount of magnetism there.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ilmenite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilmenite. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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