IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF STANNATES OF SODA, POTASH, AND AMMONIA."
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Haeffely, of Radcliffe, in the County of
Lancaster, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF STANNATES OF SODA, POTASH, AND AMMONIA."
FACTURE OF STANNATES OF SODA, POTASH, AND AMMONIA.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Haeffely at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
March 1854.
I, the said EDWARD HAEFFELY, of Radcliffe, in the County of Lancaster,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STANNATES OF SODA, POTASH, AND AMMONIA," to be as
follows:
My Invention consists in boiling an oxide of lead or some other oxide of
less affinity for oxygen than tin, with metallic tin in a solution of an alkali.
The mixture is stirred, and the process will be complete when the precipitate
shews no appearance of the oxide or metallic tin. The liquid is then drawn
off and evaporated to the required density. The precipitate I wash, and by
the action of heat, and atmospheric air reconvert it into oxide to be used again.
The washings I preserve for the dilution of the alkali, to, be used as before
mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, file
by the said Edward Haeffely in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HAEFFELY, of Radcliffe, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Haeffely, Her especial licence, that I, the said Edward
Haeffely, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Edward Haeffely, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF STANNATES OF SODA, POTASH, AND AMMONIA," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Haeffely, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Haeffely, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):
:-
In describing my Invention I shall allude to stannate of soda only; the same
instructions, however, will hold good for the other alkalis by substituting potash
or ammonia. To form stannate of soda, I introduce into a metal pan litharge
or red lead (other metallic oxides hereafter named will produce the same action,
but I prefer an oxide of lead) and a solution of caustic soda of commerce con-
taining about twenty-two per cent. of alkali, and reduce by the addition of
water or the washings hereafter named, if required; but this dilution is not
necessary to the operation, excepting to keep the stannate of soda in solution,
and above the precipitate; a plombate or plombite of the alkali is thus formed,
heat being applied for the purpose of hastening the operation. Feathered
metallic tin is then suspended in a bag or thrown into the mixture, when imme-

page_text: diately the oxygen from the alkaline solution of the oxyde of lead passes to the
metallic tin forming stannic acid, which unites with the alkali, whilst metallic
lead in a spongy state is precipitated. The proportions I use are sixteen
pounds of tin, forty-five pounds caustic soda at 70° Twaddle, from 70 to 80
litharge, (or 54 red lead.) When the tin has entirely disappeared, which will
be after several hours boiling, say from four to five, depending, however, upon
the granulated state of the tin, the fire is withdrawn, and the precipitate
allowed to settle. The clear solution of stannate of soda is then decanted, and
the precipitate washed with one or two waters (the waters being used for
reducing the alkali in future operations, as above stated); the precipitate is
thrown on a hot plate of iron or other metal, and the temperature raised to
nearly redness, when it is speedily re-oxidised by the atmospheric air, litharge
or red lead being thus formed at pleasure according to the heat and time
occupied in the oxydation, which litharge or red lead may again be used for
another operation of producing stannate of soda. As my Invention and operating,
as above described, I may substitute oxyde of lead by other metallic or
organic oxydes possessing the property of transmitting their oxygen or part of it
to a more oxydisable metal, like hydrate of peroxide of iron, hydrate of peroxide
of manganese, manganate of soda, indigo, and others. The precipitates in
these cases will be protoxides of the bases which may be converted by any
known means into peroxides to be again used. The advantages of this process
are cheapness, rapidity, and regularity of results, and the stannate so formed is
of an improved purity, giving superior results to that formed by the known
processes for the purpose of printing or dyeing textile fabrics.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that
I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent, the
production of stannates of soda, potash; and ammonia, by forming stannic acid
by the oxidation of metallic tin in an alkaline solution by the agency of an
xide of lead or any other oxide having a less affinity for oxygen than tin.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Haeffely, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
EDWARD HAEFFELY. (LS.)