IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLUORIDE OF POTASSIUM AND SODIUM, AND OF HYDRATE AND CARBONATE OF POTASH AND SODA
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan, of 54,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLUORIDE OF
POTASSIUM AND SODIUM, AND OF HYDRATE AND CARBONATE OF POTASH AND
SODA."-A communication from abroad by Carl Friedrich Claus, of
Saarbrücken, in the Kingdom of Prussia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Primerose
Howard Vaughan at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 27th December 1869.
I, EDWARD PRIMEROSE HOWARD VAUGHAN, of 54, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FLUORIDE OF.
POTASSIUM AND SODIUM, AND OF HYDRATE AND CARBONATE OF POTASH AND SODA,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Carl Friedrich Claus, of
Saarbrücken, in the Kingdom of Prussia, to be as follows:―
This Invention consists in the decomposition of sulphide of potassium.
and sodium by means of precipitated fluo-silicates of potassium and

page_text: sodium whereby fluorides of these alkalies are formed and silicic acid is
separated, whilst sulphide of hydrogen is set free in the gaseous form.
From the fluorides thus formed hydrate of potash and soda and
carbonate of potash and soda are manufactured by treating such
fluorides in the well-known manner with caustic lime or carbonate of
lime either whilst the former are in solution or in the dry state, by
heating them together in the furnace. By this operation hydrate of
potash or soda and fluoride of calcium are obtained.
The sulphides, as well as the fluo-silicates, may be obtained for the
purpose of this Invention by any of the known methods, but it is
preferred to manufacture the fluo-silicates by dissolving the fluoride of
calcium obtained in the operation described above together with the
silica obtained as before mentioned in muriatic acid, and precipitating
with this solution fluo-silicato of potash from solutions of chloride of
potassium. The fluo-silicates may be also made by the direct action of
fluo-silicic acid upon solutions of potassium or by precipitating with
other soluble fluo-silicate. The same fluo-silicate compound may be
used for any number of operations over and over again, and it may serve
as a mediator between the chlorides and sulphides of the alkalies and
the manufactured hydrate of potash and soda, and carbonate of potash
and soda for a great many operations.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
PRIMEROSE HOWARD VAUGHAN, of 54, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan,
Her special licence that I, the said Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan, 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, exercise, 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 FLUORIDE OF
POTASSIUM AND SODIUM, AND OF HYDRATE AND CARBONATE OF POTASH AND SODA,"
being a communication to me from abroad by Carl Friedrich Claus, of
Saarbrücken, in the Kingdom of Prussia, upon the condition (amongst
others). that I, the said Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan, my
executors or administrators, by, an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, 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 Primerose Howard Vaughan,
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 :---
This Invention consists in the decomposition of sulphide of potassium
and sodium by means of precipitated silico-fluorides of potassium and
sodium, whereby fluorides of these alkalies. are formed and silicic acid
gaseous form.
is separated, whilst sulphide of hydrogen is set free in the
From the fluorides thus formed hydrate of potash and soda and carbonate
of potash and soda are manufactured by heating such fluorides in the
well known manner with caustic lime or carbonate of lime, either whilst
the former are in solution or in the dry state by heating them together.
in the furnace. By this operation hydrate of potash or soda and fluoride-
of calcium are obtained.
The sulphides as well as the silico-fluorides may be obtained for the
for the purpose of this Invention by any of the known methods, but it is.
preferred to manufacture the silico-fluorides by dissolving the fluoride of
calcium obtained in the operation described above, together with the
silica obtained as before mentioned in muriatic acid, and precipitating:
with this solution silico-fluoride of potassium or sodium. The silico-
fluorides may be also made by the direct action of fluo-silicic acid upon
solutions of chloride of potassium or sodium, or by precipitation with

page_text: other soluble silico-fluorides. The same silico-fluoride compound may
be used for any number of operations over and over again, and it may
serve as a medium between the chlorides and sulphides of the alkalies
and the manufactured hydrate of potash or soda and carbonate of potash
or soda for a great many operations.
To carry out the said Invention all that is necessary to do is to mix
the said silico-fluorides of potassium or sodium and the sulphides of
potassium or sodium in equivalent proportions or quantities to place the
mixture in a closed air-tight boiler or tank (supplied with a steam pipe
and mechanical agitator), and to boil the same by means of steam until
all the sulphide of hydrogen set free in this process is eliminated, and
the liquid no longer shows a reaction of sulphur. The sulphide of
hydrogen liberated and sent off during the decomposition of the sulphides
by the silico-fluoride is conveyed away by means of a pipe in the top
of the tank, and may be utilised by any of the known methods.
The sulphide of hydrogen being perfectly pure and not mixed with atmo-
spheric air or other gases may be burnt after admixture with air for the
manufacture of sulphuric acid.

page_text: by evaporation and by condensation in the ordinary manner, and be thus
separated from the chloride of calcium, the latter remaining behind in
the evaporating vessel,
If hydrate or carbonate of magnesia were used instead of hydrate or
carbonate of lime, as described above, for the decomposition of fluoride
of potassium or sodium, the ultimate product would be in this case a
mixture of chloride of magnesium and hydrochloric acid instead of a
mixture of chloride of calcium and hydrochloric acid. These two could
then also be separated by evaporation and by the condensation of the
hydrochloric acid, and the remaining chloride of magnesium could in
that case be further decomposed by calcination in the presence of steam
into hydrochloric acid and magnesia, which latter would again be
available for decomposing further quantities of fluorides of the alkalies.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and therefore
claim as constituting the Invention secured to me by the said herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the methods and processes for
the manufacture of fluoride of potassium and sodium, and the combina-
tion of these processes with other known processes for the manufacture
of hydrate and oarbonate of potash and soda, as herein-before described,
or any mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Primerose Howard Vaughan,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day
of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
Seventy