An alloy is a mixture of two or more base elements, creating novel properties not present in either ingredient by itself. Nitinol, for example, is an alloy of nickel and titanium. Grade 5 titanium is a mixture of titanium with vanadium and aluminum additives. Brass is a mixture of copper and zinc. Each alloy’s unique recipe brings out special features and characteristics (such as nitinol’s shape memory effect and superelasticity) that are not present in the constituent elements individually.