IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ORES CONTAINING SULPHIDE OF ANTIMONY FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THE SAID SULPHIDE IN A CONCENTRATED FORM
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES SIMPSON of 8* Romford Place Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Alkali Manufacturer and EDWARD WILLIAM PARNELL of 28 Canning Street
Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the
nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF ORES
CONTAINING SULPHIDE OF ANTIMONY FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING THE
SAID SULPHIDE IN A CONCENTRATED FORM," and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In the preparation or manufacture of metallic antimony from the natural sulphide
or stibnite there is always a loss and inconvenience in working the ores containing
a small percentage of antimony. This arises partly from the greater bulk which
has to be dealt with, and partly from the extra cost of flux and other materials
necessary for bringing the particles of metal together in the molten condition.
The object of our Invention is to treat ores containing a low percentage of
sulphide of antimony in a cheap and efficient manner so as to separate the gangue
or other impurity from the said sulphide of antimony and obtain the latter in a more
concentrated form.
For this purpose (a) we grind or pulverize the ore until it is in a state of fine
division, say until it will pass through a sieve of 40 meshes to the inch or there-
abouts, and we add the finely pulverized ore to an aqueous solution preferably hot,
of a fixed alkali, of a fixed alkaline sulphide, or of a sulphide of the metal of an
alkaline earth and keep the whole agitated by any convenient means, or the
solution may be added to the pulverized ore. The sulphide of antimony will
combine and form a solution with the alkali, alkaline sulphide or sulphide of the
metal of an alkaline earth while the gangue and other impurity will remain
undissolved and is allowed to settle to the bottom of the vessel in which the
operation is conducted. (b) The said gangue or impurity is removed from the said
vessel in any convenient way or the solution containing the sulphide of antimony
is decanted or run into another vessel leaving the residue behind. (c) The solution
containing the sulphide of antimony is treated with just sufficient muriatic or other

page_text: cheap acid to neutralize the alkali and precipitate the sulphide of antimony which
latter is then filtered or allowed to drain and is subsequently dried. Sulphide of
antimony obtained from ores in the manner above setforth is in a highly
concentrated condition and is more suitable for the production of metallic antiuiony
than it was before separation from the gangue or other impurity.
TWI
Instead of acid being employed the antimony sulphide may be precipitated by
passing air into the solution; or the solution may be evaporated to dryness and the
resulting compound of sulphide of antimony and other sulphide or alkali smelted
with iron or dealt with in any convenient manner.
In practice we find that ore which has been passed through a 40 mesh sieve will
dissolve readily in a solution of sodium sulphide of about 40° Twaddle or in a
solution of calcium sulphide or poly sulphide of about 10° Twaddle. The process
may be worked with cold solutions as also with coarsely ground ore but not so
advantageously..
We wish it to be understood that we do not claim dissolving sulphide of antimony
in alkaline solutions nor in solutions of alkaline sulphides nor of the sulphides of
the metals of alkaline earths as it was known that precipitated sulphide of antimony
was soluble in these reagents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: ==
The process herein described for separating sulphide of antimony from its gangue
or other impurity consisting (a) in adding the ore in a finely pulverized condition
to an aqueous solution of a fixed alkali, or of a fixed alkaline sulphide, or of a
sulphide of the metal of an alkaline earth and agitating the same till the sulphide
of antimony is dissolved, (b) in the separation of the gangue or residue from the
solution, and (c) in precipitating the sulphide of antimony which is dissolved in the
foregoing operation by means of muriatic or other acid, air, or air and acid, or in
evaporating the solution containing the sulphide of antimony to dryness, in the
manner and for the purpose setforth.
Dated this 20th day of August 1881