William Gregor

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William Gregor

1761-1817

English mineralogist famous for discovering titanium. Gregor analyzed a black sand he found in Menacchan, Cornwall. The sand contained iron, manganese, and another substance that Gregor successfully extracted but could not identify. He published his findings in 1791 and proposed the name menacchanine for this new mineral. Martin Klaproth isolated the same element from a different source in 1795 and suggested the name titanium. Gregor was rector of Creed from 1793 until his death.