Process for the Manufacture of Carbides or Acetylides of the Earth Metals and Alkali-earth Metals, and of the Oxides or Salts of these Metals.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process for the Manufacture of Carbides or Acetylides of the Earth
Metals and Alkali-earth Metals, and of the Oxides or Salts of
these Metals.
I, LOUIS MICHEL BULLIER, of 12, Avenue d'Orléans, Paris, France, Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a process for the direct manufacture, on a commercial
scale, of the carbides of the earth-metals and alkali-earth metals, and of the oxides
of these metals.
The process consists essentially in heating in an electric furnace, such as a
Moissan furnace, for example, a mixture of carbon with, the oxide of the earth-
metal or alkali-earth metal to be carburized. The product obtained in the furnace
is fluid at the temperature at which it is produced and forms on cooling a crystalline
mass of a dark colour, which is the carbide of the metal corresponding to the oxide
treated. I am thus enabled to obtain, with great facility, the carbides of calcium,
barium, or strontium, as well as the carbides and acetylides of rare earth-metals,
such as cerium, thorium, lanthanium, etc. By employing, for example, 56 parts by
weight of quick-lime, and 36 parts of sugar-charcoal, wood-charcoal, lamp-black,
or other variety of carbon, a definite carbide is obtained corresponding to the
formula C'Ca. By adding an excess of lime, carbides of variable composition may
be obtained. The oxide of the metal may be replaced by its carbonate or any
other salt.
The carbides of alkali-earth metals obtained by my process are capable of various
applications, and more particularly for the immediate production, by the simple
action of water, of pure acetylene, in the case of carbide of calcium C³Ca, or of
mixtures of carbides of hydrogen of variable composition. The residue of the
operation consists of oxide of the metal of which the carbide has been decomposed.
For example, one kilogramme of carbide of calcium C²Ca yields from 300 to 350 litres
of acetylene and leaves lime as residue.
As the carbides obtained by my process may be manufactured on a commercial
scale at a price which is a function of the motive power necessary for generating
the electric current, such carbides may be obtained in considerable quantities
capable of yielding acetylene at a moderate price, or of producing under different
conditions acetylenic carbides or acetylides. The practical application of acetylene
is thus rendered possible, some of these being already known. I would mention
more particularly the manufacture of di-iodoform, hydrocyanic acid, and cyanides.
Acetylene may also serve for lighting purposes, either alone or for rendering
illuminant gases having little or no lighting power. Acetylene becomes polymeric
under the action of heat and is further capable of furnishing a series of interesting
compounds, among which I will here only mention benzene, but it is evident that
this body is susceptible of numerous applications in organic chemistry.
The above indications with respect to acetylene are merely given to demonstrate
the commercial importance and practical bearing of the process of preparing
carbides of the earth-metals and alkali-earth metals forming the subject of the
present invention.
In conclusion it should be observed that the carbides above mentioned yield by
decomposition with water, in addition to gases, a bye-product, namely the oxide of

page_text: the corresponding metal which is available for the preparation of a fresh quantity
of carbide or of being utilized for known industrial uses, the oxides of barium,
strontium, etc., thus obtained constituting particularly useful products resulting
from the working of my process.
As the product of the reaction of water on the carbide is the hydrated oxide of
the corresponding metal, it is only necessary to treat it with the acid of the salt
which it is desired to obtain. To obtain nitrate of strontium, for example,
I saturate with nitric acid the strontium hydrate produced by the decomposition
by water of the carbide of strontium. In short, various salts may be obtained by
double-decomposition or any other method known to chemistry.
Dated this 8th day of February 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Process for the Manufacture of Carbides or Acetylides of the Earth
Metals and Alkali-earth Metals, and of the Oxides or Salts of
these Metals.
I, LOUIS MICHEL BULLIER, of 12, Avenue d'Orleans, Paris, France, Chemist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to a process for the direct manufacture, on a commercial
scale, of the carbides of the earth-metals and alkali-earth metals, and of the oxides
of these metals.
The process consists essentially in heating in an electric furnace, such as a
Moissan furnace, for example, a mixture of carbon with the oxide of the earth-
metal or alkali-earth metal to be carburized. The product obtained in the furnace
is fluid at the temperature at which it is produced and forms on cooling a crystalline
mass of a dark colour, which is the carbide of the metal corresponding to the oxide
treated. I am thus enabled to obtain with great facility, the carbides of calcium,
barium, or strontium, as well as the carbides and acetylides of rare earth-metals,
such as cerium, thorium, lathanium, etc. By employing, for example, 56 parts by
weight of quicklime and 36 parts of sugar-charcoal, wood-charcoal, lampblack, or
other variety of carbon, a definite carbide is obtained corresponding to the
formula C'Ca. By adding an excess of lime, carbides of variable composition may
be obtained. It is to be understood that the carbonate or any other salt of the
metal may be substituted for the oxide.
The carbides of alkali-earth metals obtained by my process are capable of various
applications and more particularly for the immediate production, by the simple
action of water, of pure acetylene in the case of carbide of calcium C'Ca, or of
mixtures of carbides of hydrogen of variable composition. The residue of the
operation consists of oxide of the metal of which the carbide has been decomposed.
For example, one kilogramme of carbide of calcium C'Ca yields from 300 to
350 litres of acetylene and leaves lime as residue.
As the carbides obtained by my process may be manufactured on a commercial
scale at a price which is a function of the motive power necessary for generating
the electric current, such carbides may be obtained in considerable quantities
capable of yielding acetylene at a moderate price, or of producing under different
conditions acetylenic carbides or acetylides. The practical application of acetylene
is thus rendered possible, some of these applications being already known. I would
mention more particularly the manufacture of di-iodoform, hydrocyanic acid, and

page_text: cyanides. Acetylene may also serve for lighting purposes, either alone or for
rendering illuminant gases having little or no lighting power. Acetylene becomes
polymeric under the action of heat and is further capable of furnishing a series of
interesting compounds among which I will here only mention benzene, but it is
evident that this body is susceptible of numerous applications in organic
chemistry.
The above indications with respect to acetylene are merely given to demonstrate
the commercial importance and practical bearing of the process of preparing
carbides of the earth-metals and alkali-earth metals forming the subject of the
present invention.
In conclusion, it should be observed that the carbides above mentioned yield by
decomposition with water, in addition to gases, a bye-product, namely the oxide of
the corresponding metal which is available for the preparation of a fresh batch of
carbide or for known industrial uses, the oxides of barium, strontium, etc. thus
obtained constituting particularly useful products resulting from the working of
my process.
As the product of the reaction of water on the carbide is the hydrated oxide of
the corresponding metal it is only necessary to treat it with the acid corresponding
to the salt which it is desired to produce. To obtain nitrate of strontium, for
example, I saturate with nitric acid the strontium hydrate produced by the
decomposition by water of the carbide of strontium. In short, various salts may
be obtained by double-decomposition or any other method known to chemistry.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The hereindescribed process of commercially manufacturing carbides or
acetylides of the earth-metals and alkali-earth metals, which consists in heating by
means of an electric furnace a mixture of carbon and of the oxide or salt of the
metal of which it is desired to produce the carbide, as specified.
2nd. The hereindescribed process of producing oxides of earth-metals and
alkali-earth metals, which consists in heating in an electric furnace a mixture of
carbon and a carbonate or other salt of the metal to form a carbide or acetylide of
the metal and then decomposing the carbide or acetylide thus obtained, by means
of water, as specified.
3rd. The hereindescribed process of producing salts of earth-metals and alkali-
earth metals, which consists in heating in an electric furnace a mixture of carbon
and a carbonate or other salt of the metal to form a carbide or acetylide of the
metal, then decomposing the carbide or acetylide thus obtained, by means of water,
and then treating the resulting hydroxide with the acid corresponding to the salt
required, as specified.
4th. The various applications of the carbides, acetylides, or oxides of the earth-
metals or alkali-earth metals obtained by the hereinbefore described process, as
specified.
ليم
1
CNT
1005
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.