IMPROVEMENTS IN THE REDUCTION OF CERTAIN METALLIC CHLORIDES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Larkin, of Theydon Gernon, in the County
of Essex, and William White, of No. 30, Thurlow Road, Hampstead,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE REDUCTION OF CERTAIN METALLIC CHLORIDES.”
0
Sealed the 30th January 1872, and dated the 7th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Larkin and
William White at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 7th December 1871.
We, HENRY LARKIN, of Theydon Gernon, in the County of Essex, and
WILLIAM WHITE, of No. 30, Thurlow Road, Hampstead, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE REDUCTION OF CERTAIN METALLIC CHLORIDES," to be
as follows: —
In the Provisional Specification lodged by us and another on the 8th
of June 1871, No. 1518, there is described a method by which metallic
iron is obtained from purified chloride of iron, and the chlorine recovered

page_text: as hydrochloric acid for future use. We have now discovered that the
same or a similar method available for the reduction of several other
metallic chlorides as the chlorides of manganese, nickel, zinc, copper,
tin, lead, and silver. As described in the case of iron we obtain the
given metal from its chloride, and recover the chlorine as hydrochloric
acid by mixing the chloride and a sufficient quantity of water with
broken or macerated peat, or wood sawdust, or other suitable hydro-
carbonaceous substance. We then heat the mixture to redness in a
retort or oven, by which means hydrogen from the peat or sawdust and
from the water is made to unite with the chlorine to form hydrochloric
acid, which is given off and collected in the usual manner, leaving a residue
consisting chiefly of the given metal or metals intimately mingled with
carbon. When the acid has thus been recovered we burn out the carbon
if needful, or so far as needful, by admission of atmospheric air, and
obtain the metal or metals either by distillation, or as a residue in the
retort. By properly proportioning and mingling the chlorides of any
given metals definite alloys are also in this way readily obtainable with
great accuracy and uniformity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Larkin and William White in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 5th June 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
LARKIN, of Theydon Gernon, in the County of Essex, and WILLIAM
WHITE, of No. 30, Thurlow Road, Hampstead, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Henry Larkin and William White,
Her special license that we, the said Henry Larkin and William
White, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Henry Larkin and William White, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: densing tower, leaving a residue consisting chiefly of the metal and of
carbon intimately mingled.
In the case of any definite alloy being required as of copper and zinc,
or of copper, nickel, and zinc, we first mix their respective chlorides in
suitable proportions (preferably in a state of solution), and then
intimately mingle the same with hydrocarbonaceous matter, and proceed
as already described.
The proportion of hydrocarbonaceous matter mixed with the chloride
or chlorides may vary considerably, but it is desirable that it should not
greatly exceed what would be sufficient to absorb the water of crystalliza-
tion given out on heating the crystals. When the acid has thus been
removed we cause atmospheric air to pass through the retort, which is
still kept at a red heat. This is continued until the residual carbon is
sufficiently burnt out, which may be roughly known by carbonic oxide
ceasing to be evolved. When the carbonic oxide ceases or nearly ceases
to be evolved the contents of the furnace or retort are raked or other-
wise removed into a second chamber where the heat is increased, and the
powdery or spongy metal fused and run into any form that may be
nad
HENRY LARKIN.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM WHITE. (L.S.)