CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND THE SALTS OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS FOR COMBINING AMMONIA, CARBONIC ACID, AND OTHER GASES WITH LIQUIDS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
YOUNG, of Newton-le-Willows, in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of November, in the fifth year of Iler reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Young, Her especial licence, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said James Young, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as
I the said James Young, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her Majesty's United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA, AND THE SALTS OF AMMONIA, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR COMBINING AMMONIA, CARBONIC ACID, AND OTHER GASES WITH LIQUIDS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said James
Young, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, under my hand and seal,

page_text: to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Young, do hereby declare that the nature of the said improvements
in the manufacture of ammonia, and the salts of ammonia, and in apparatus
for combining ammonia, carbonic acid, and other gases with liquids, and the
manner of performing the same, are fully shewn and set forth in the following
Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings. annexed, and to the
letters and figures thereon (that is to say):-
In order to obtain ammonia, I fill a retort of the form represented in Figures
1 and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed (Figure 1 being, an external
elevation, and Figure 2 a sectional view of the same), with about two parts in
weight of the substance called guano, imported into this country from Peru
and other parts of South America, and one part hydrate of lime or slacked
lime, or other caustic alkali, but preferring the hydrate of lime on account of
its cheapness; I then close the manhole door A, and mix the guano and hydrate
of lime thoroughly together by giving a rotary or reciprocating motion to the
agitator B, either by hand or by machinery. The retort is then subjected to
heat of a moderate degree, at first, but increased till the bottom is nearly-red
hot, which sets free not only the ammonia of the guano, but likewise decomposés
the uric acid contained in the guano, which acid yields ammonia also. But as
as other gases besides ammonia are liberated by this process, in order that the
ammonia may be separated from them, the whole of the gaseous products of the
retort are conveyed. by a pipe 6 to. a .condenser C.; Figure 3 of the Drawings
annexed: is an elevation of this condenser; Figure 4, a top plan;-Figure 5, a
longitudinal section; Figure:6, an end view; Figure 8, a cross section through
the line A, B; and Figure 9, a cross section through the line C, D. It consists
of an oblong box of iron, lead, stone, or other suitable material, the top of which
inclines upwards from the entrance pipe c to the escape pipe e (as shewn in
Figure 5), and is completely filled with water. At the lower end of the box
there is a bridge d, perforated with holes at equal distances from one another,
by means of which the gases, as they enter from the pipe bat c, are caused to
distribute-themselves uniformly over and through the water. The ammonia is
absorbed by the water, but the other gases, which are. insoluble, make their
escape through the pipe at the higher end; any-overflow of-liquid which
may be caused by the increase of bulk from the introduction of the gases
passes also off through the pipe e, and is collected in another vessel. The

page_text: quantity of water through which the gases are required to pass may be greatly
increased by the insertion in the condenser of one, two, or more inclined shelves
with a perforated bridge to each, as shewn in the longitudinal section, Figure
7, and cross: sections, Figures 8, 9, and 10. The efficiency of the condenser
may be still further augmented by making the under surface of the top of the
condenser and the under surfaces of the additional inclined shelves, where such
are used, fluted longitudinally, as shewn in the cross sections, Figure 10.
Moreover, instead of the gases being conveyed directly to the condenser through
the pipe 6, they may have their temperature previously reduced considerably.
by passing that pipe through a refrigerator. To prevent any derangement of
the apparatus from sudden expansions or contractions, there is a safety tube or
valve S attached to the pipe b at g. The advantage peculiar to the form of
condenser I have herein-before described is, that the gases are made, to traverse
over or through a great body of liquid, while the pressure to be overcome is not
more than equal to the perpendicular height of the fluid above the entrance
pipe at c. To form solutions of carbonate, sesquicarbonate, and bicarbonate
(salts) of ammonia, I fill the condenser with a solution of ammonia, and pass
carbonic acid through it. To form solutions of the sulphate or muriate of
ammonia, I use dilute-sulphuric or muriatic acid for the condensing liquid, in
which case the condenser should be made of stone or, other material not, acted
upon by the acids employed. And for combining generally all soluble gases
with liquids, I use the condensing apparatus, before described, which I find
better adapted to the purpose than any other with which I am acquainted.. To
facilitate the emptying of the retort, after each of the processes before described
has been gone through, and which is done. through the manhole A, a little
water should be added to soften the residum. The filling of the condensers
is effected through the pipe e, and the acid solutions are drawn off by means of
a stoneware stop-cock at t.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not claim as new the
form of retort represented in Figures 1 and 2, and herein-before described, nor
any of the appendages thereof; but that what I claim as new, and of
my Invention is,―
Firstly, the manufacture of ammonia by treating the substance called guano
and hydrate of lime (or any other caustic alkali) in the manner herein-before
described, and passing the gaseous products thereof through a condensing
apparatus of one or other of the forms represented in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, and 10, and also herein-before described.
Secondly, the manufacture of carbonates (salts) of ammonia by passing

page_text: carbonic acid through a solution of ammonia contained in a condensing
apparatus of one or other of the said forms.
Thirdly, the manufacture of the sulphate or muriate of ammonia by passing
ammonia through sulphuric or muriatic acid contained in a condensing appa-
ratus of one or other of the sd forms.
And, fourthly, the condensing apparatus itself, of each and every one of
the forms aforesaid, whether employed for any of the purposes particularly
before specified, or employed in any way for combining ammonia, carbonic acid,
and other gases with liquids.
Inrolled the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-two.