Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sodium and Potassium.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left. 2nd Sept., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sodium
and Potassium.
I, JAMES ALFRED KENDALL of 11 Bournevale Road, Streatham, in the
County of Surrey, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be
as follows:-
-
Sodium and potassium have hitherto been manufactured by heating carbonates,
or hydrates, thereof, with carbon in iron vessels, the sodium, or potassium, being
driven off in vapour, which passes into receivers and is condensed. The iron
vessels, however, at the high temperature required for the reaction, are much
injured, and, in a comparatively short time; are rendered useless.
According to this invention I provide an inner vessel and an outer vessel, or
jacket, surrounding, or in main part surrounding, the inner vessel, so as to leave,
between the two vessels, a space for the reception of hydrogen gas, either pure or
in admixture with other gas or gases (for instance water gas). Any suitable means
can be provided for passing the said gas into the said space, and for heating the
vessels to a high temperature. The inner vessel is made of nickel, or of cobalt,
and the outer vessel may be made of refractory earthenware, or of nickel, or
cobalt, or iron of difficult fusibility, enclosed in, or covered by, refractory
earthenware, especially when the outer vessel is of iron, or cobalt.
On hydrogen gas, or its equivalent, as hereinbefore explained, being passed into
the space between the two vessels, the presence of the hydrogen prevents the metal
of the inner vessel from being acted on by the mixture of alkali and carbon. The
inner vessel is provided with a tube or passage for the escape of the vapour of
sodium or potassium, together with the gases resulting from the reaction. This
tube may be made of nickel or cobalt, or part of it may be made of iron.
If a mixture of a suitable form of carbon (such as charcoal) and of carbonate
of sodium or of potassium (according to whether sodium or potassium is to be
produced) be put into the inner vessel and hydrogen gas or its equivalent be passed
into the space between the inner and outer vessels the apparatus being heated to the
temperature at which the alkali is decomposed by the carbon, the vapour of sodium
or of potassium is given off and passes out of the vessel by the tube, or passage,
before mentioned, and may be condensed in condensers of any usual, or convenient,
description. Or the inner vessel may be charged with the carbon and the requisite
heat being maintained, the carbonate, or the hydrate, of sodium, or of potassium,
be run gradually, or as required, into the said inner vessel, in a molten state by
any suitable means; such as a funnel and tube which may be made of platinum,
or other suitable metal.
1005
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Sodium
and Potassium.
I, JAMES ALFRED KENDALL of 11 Bournevale Road, Streatham, in the
County of Surrey, 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 :-
Sodium and potassium have hitherto been manufactured by heating carbonates,
or hydrates, thereof, with carbon, in iron vessels the sodium, or potassium, being
driven off in vapour, which passes into receivers and is condensed. The iron
vessels, however, at the high temperature required for the reaction, are much
injured, and, in a comparatively short time, are rendered useless.
According to this invention I provide an inner vessel and an outer vessel, or
jacket, surrounding, or in main part, surrounding the inner vessel, so as to leave,
between the two vessels a space for the reception of hydrogen gas either pure, or
in admixture with other gas, or gases, (for instance water gas). Any suitable
means can be provided for passing the said gas into the said space, and for heating
the vessels to a high temperature. The inner vessel is made of nickel, or of
cobalt, and the outer vessel may be made of refractory earthenware, or of nickel,
or cobalt, or iron of difficult fusibility enclosed in, or covered by, refractory
earthenware; especially when the outer vessel is of iron, or cobalt.
On hydrogen gas, or its equivalent, as hereinbefore explained, being passed into
the space between the two vessels, the presence of the hydrogen prevents the
metal of the inner vessel from being acted on by the mixture of alkali and carbon.
The inner vessel is provided with a tube, or passage, for the escape of the vapour
of sodium, or of potassium, together with the gases resulting from the reaction.
This tube or passage may be made of nickel, or cobalt, or part of it may be made
of iron.
If a mixture of a suitable form of carbon (such as charcoal) and of carbonate
of sodium, or of potassium, (according to whether sodium, or potassium, is to be
produced), be put into the inner vessel and hydrogen gas, or its equivalent, be
passed into the space between the inner and outer vessels, the apparatus being
heated to the temperature at which the alkali is decomposed by the carbon, the
vapour of sodium, or of potassium, is given off, and passes out of the vessel by
the tube, or passage, before mentioned, and may be condensed in condensers of
any usual, or convenient description. Or the inner vessel may be charged with the
carbon and the requisite heat being maintained, the carbonate, or the hydrate, of
sodium or of potassium, in a molten state, be run gradually, or as required, into
the said inner vessel, by any suitable means, such as a funnel and tube, which may
be made of platinum, or other suitable metal.
The accompanying drawing represents in vertical section a convenient form of
apparatus for carrying my invention into effect; but I do not limit myself to the
precise details and form of the apparatus illustrated.
A is the inner vessel or retort having a tube B, C, made of nickel, or cobalt, or
the part C, of the said tube may be made of iron and the part B, of nickel, or cobalt.
D is a moveable flange, or door, to allow of carbon being put into the vessel or
retort A when required. E is the outer vessel having a continuation E' surrounding
the tube B, C. F is a cylinder or envelope of refractory earthenware, surrounding
the vessel E. G is a small tube by which hydrogen, or its equivalent, can be
passed into the space I, between the vessels A and E, and H is an outlet for
surplus gas. J is a funnel-tube, (which may be made of platinum,) by which
fused alkali may be let into the retort from the platinum vessel K containing a

page_text: supply of fused alkali. The supply of the fused alkali is controlled by a lever L,
working a tap L'. The vessel K is supported by arms M resting in holes in a
fireclay cylinder N which can be supported in any convenient way: for example,
by clamps, (not shewn in the drawing) affixed to the structure of the furnace.
Burners for burning gas or other convenient heating media, are provided to maintain
the vessel K, and the funnel tube J, at a red heat, to keep the alkali in a fused
condition. O is a chamber made of firebrick, (preferably in sections), which can
be heated to a high temperature by any suitable means, such, for instance, as a gas
burner placed at the hole P. Q represents the walls of a furnace, and R represents.
the interior of the furnace for heating the vessels A and E. SS indicate supports
for the retort or vessel A which supports may be made of magnesia, for example.
It is an advantage to have the outside of the continuation E' covered over with
thin sheet platinum to protect it from the action of the flame in the chamber O, or
it may be made entirely of platinum.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
In the manufacture of sodium, or potassium, submitting carbon, and a carbonate,
or hydrate, of the alkali metal to be obtained, to a high temperature, in a vessel
made of nickel, or cobalt, and surrounded, or in main part surrounded, by another
vessel, or jacket, so as to enclose a surrounding space into which hydrogen gas, or
its equivalent is passed as and for the purpose hereinbefore explained.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX, .
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.