Improvements in or Appertaining to the Manufacture of Phosphorus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1888
Complete Left, 8th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th Apr., 1888
Improvements in or Appertaining to the Manufacture of
Phosphorus.
I, AMÉDEÉ NICOLLE, Attaché to the Minister of the Interior, of 19 Rue Joubert,
Paris, in the Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention has for its object a process for obtaining phosphorus by the treatment
of phosphates generally (the exact base which is combined with the phosphoric acid
being immaterial).
To explain my invention I will describe it by supposing that I treat natural
phosphates of lime mineral or fossil. I take these natural mineral or fossil phosphates
and treat them with nitric acid in such manner as to obtain the phosphoric acid
contained in those phosphates by the decomposition of the phosphate of lime. I next
treat the nitro-phosphate of lime with sulphate of potash in such manner as to obtain
sulphate of lime and nitrate of potash. I then separate the sulphate of lime by
filtration by means of any convenient apparatus and treat the liquid with mercurous
nitrate. There are thus formed phosphate of mercury and nitrate of lime. I decompose
the nitrate of lime by a fresh quantity of sulphate of potash and the liquor then only
contains nitrate of potash which is evaporated and crystallized. On the other hand
the phosphate of mercury is washed and dried then mixed with carbon and introduced
into a distilling apparatus and heated in any convenient fashion. By this means
mercury is first obtained in the metallic state and then on raising the temperature
phosphorus is obtained.
As will be seen the characteristic point of my process consists principally in the

page_text: application of mercurous nitrate or sub-nitrate of 'mercury for the formation of a
phosphate of mercury serving afterwards by distillation and deoxidation to obtain
these two elements or substances mercury and phosphoric acid and from the latter,
phosphorus.
The apparatus employed for these operations described above can be varied without
changing the nature of my invention. Further the proportions of the elements
employed can be varied to suit the richness of the raw materials employed in the
process.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1888.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Appertaining to the Manufacture of
Phosphorus.
I, AMEDEE NICOLLE, Attaché to the Minister of the Interior, of 19, Rue Joubert,
Paris, in the Republic of France, 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 has for its object a process for obtaining phosphorus by the treatment
of phosphates generally, (the exact base which is combined with the phosphoric acid
being immaterial).
To-explain. my invention, I will describe it, by supposing that I treat natural
phosphates of lime, mineral or fossil. I take these natural mineral or fossil-phosphates,
and treat them with nitric acid, in such manner as to obtain the phosphoric acid
contained in those phosphates by the decomposition of the phosphate of lime. I next
treat the nitro-phosphate of lime with sulphate of potash, in such manner as to obtain
sulphate of lime and nitrate of potash. I then separate the sulphate of lime, by
filtration, by means of any convenient apparatus, and treat the liquid with mercurious
nitrate. "There are thus formed, phosphate of mercury and nitrate of lime; I decom-
pose the nitrate of lime by a fresh quantity of sulphate of potash, and the liquor then
only contains nitrate of potash, which is evaporated and crystallized. On the other
hand, the phosphate of mercury is washed and dried, then mixed with carbon, and
introduced into a distilling apparatus, and heated in any convenient fashion. By this
means, mercury is first obtained in the metallic state, and then on raising the
temperature, phosphorus is obtained..

page_text: As will be seen, the characteristic point of my process, consists principally, in the
application of mercurious nitrate or sub-nitrate of mercury for the formation of a
phosphate of mercury, serving afterwards by distillation and deoxidation, to obtain
these two elements or substances, mercury and phosphoric acid, and from the latter,
phosphorus.
The apparatus employed for these operations described above, can be varied without
changing the nature of my invention. Further the proportions of the elements
employed, can be varied to suit the richness of the raw materials employed in the
process.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained, the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The process of manufacturing phosphorus, by the treatment of natural mineral
or other phosphate, characterised by the above named operations as a whole, whereby
phosphorus is eventually produced by distillation from phosphate of mercury in
presence of carbon.
2. The process of manufacturing phosphorus, substantially as described above.
711 1
Mh 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.