The formation of titanium aluminides in Ti-Al elemental powder mixtures containing 25, 50 and 75 at.% Al, has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Phase evolution in the mixture was followed by heating the compacted samples up to 1273 K at 7.5 and 15 K min -1 . The cooled samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the primary combustion product in all the samples was TiAl 3 , and the combustion reaction occurred below the melting point of aluminum only in Ti-rich samples. In Alrich samples (75 at.% Al), TiAl 3 was obtained as a porous, single-phase product after combustion. In samples containing 25 and 50 at.% Al, the combustion reaction was incomplete and the unreacted titanium particles were covered by a layer of TiAl 3 . In these samples, other intermetallic compounds such as TiAl 2 , TiAl and Ti 3 Al were observed to form upon heating beyond the combustion peak and are attributed to the solid-state reaction between unreacted titanium and TiAl 3 . Heating the samples with 25 at.% Al to 1273 K for an hour led to the formation of a homogenous Ti 3 Al product, while a multiphase product with a dominant TiAl phase was observed in samples containing 50 at.% Al. Calculations based on DSC data show that the formation of TiAl 3 through the reaction between solid titanium and molten aluminum is associated with an apparent activation energy of 195 ± 20 kJ mol -1 and an enthalpy of -114 ± 5 kJ mol -1 .