How is sodium used to produce titanium metal?

Sodium is used to produce titanium metal primarily through a method known as the Hunter process. In this procedure, titanium tetrachloride (${\text{TiCl}}_4$) is reduced using metallic sodium (Na) to yield metallic titanium and sodium chloride ($\text{NaCl}$).123

The reaction occurs within large, sealed steel vessels at temperatures ranging from approximately 800 to 1,000 °C (1,450 to 1,800 °F) under an inert argon atmosphere to prevent contamination from air or moisture. This process results in a highly porous form of titanium called sponge, which contains entrapped salt. To obtain the final metal, the sponge is crushed, and the salt is removed through either dilute acid leaching or high-temperature vacuum distillation. The resulting sodium chloride can be recycled through electrolytic cells to recover sodium for further use in the reduction process.1