Magnesium was used as a reductant to synthesize directly titanium powder from titanium oxide (TiO2) through combustion. The feed material (TiO2), reductant (Mg), and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2)) were mixed and combusted under pressure in an argon atmosphere. The temperature-time profiles were intermittently measured during combustion in order to analyze the combustion temperatures and wave velocities. The combustion product was subsequently leached to produce Ti powder with similar to 1.5 wt% oxygen. The Ti powder was further deoxidized with calcium to decrease the oxygen content in the powder to 0.2-0.3 wt%. The morphology and size of the Ti particles was examined, and the mechanism by which Ca(OH)2 reduced the content of oxygen in the Ti powder was discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.