IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING CHLORINE, AND IN OBTAINING CER TAIN SALTS AND OTHER USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM THE RESIDUAL MATTERS OF SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Christopher Binks at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1853.
(Void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within the
time prescribed by the Act.)
I, CHRISTOPHER BINKS, of Albert Villa, North Woolwich, in the
County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING CHLORINE, AND IN OBTAINING CER
TAIN SALTS AND OTHER USEFUL PRODUCTS FROM THE RESIDUAL MATTERS OF
SUCH MANUFACTURE."
My Invention, in the first place, consists in using, as the source of
the chlorine, chloride or muriate of manganese (at present a waste or
comparatively valueless residue of the manufacture of chlorine) instead
of chloride of sodium or hydrochloric acid, which are the usual mate-
rials employed as the source of the chlorine in the manufacture of that
element; and in obtaining sulphate of manganese, unmixed with any
other material, as a residue of each such manufacture. To the equiva-
lent of chloride of manganese I add an equivalent of peroxide of man-
ganese, and as much sulphuric acid as requisite, finally, when the

page_text: chlorine has been evolved by treating the mixture as usual in manufac-
turing chlorine, to form the manganese in the chloride, & also that in
the oxide present, into sulphate of manganese. This mixture I treat
in the usual manner of treating mixtures yielding chlorine, by warming
it or the vessels containing it by steam or otherwise till the whole of
the chlorine is evolved. The residue, after expulsion of the gascous
chlorine, (& which residue consists chiefly of sulphate of manganese
intermixed with some per-sulphate of iron from the iron always,
in greater or less quantity, existing along with peroxide of manganese.)
I then dry and heat till the per-sulphate of iron is decomposed, giving
off sulphuric acid, & leaving peroxide of iron. The sulphuric acid
so given off from the per-sulphate of iron I cause to be retained, by
addition to the residue, before decomposition of it, of a little oxide or
carbonate of manganesc. After the residual mass has been thus heated
it is lixiviated, and a solution of pure sulphate of manganese (or sul-
phate of manganese free from all iron) is obtained, together with a
residue of peroxide of iron of fine tint, and applicable and valuable
as a pigment. By this improvement I obtain chlorine at no greater cost
than by other processes, and at the same time residual products of consi-
derably greater utility and value than those yielded by existing processes.
The second part of my Invention consists in using chloride or
muriate of zinc as the source of the chlorine in manufacturing chlorine,
and in obtaining, as a valuable residue applicable to several useful pur-
poses, a mixture or a double salt of sulphate of zinc & manganese.
To chloride of zinc in solution I add an equivalent or thereabouts of
peroxide of manganese and hydrated sulphuric acid, the latter in quan-
tity sufficient; finally, after the chlorine has been evolved, to convert
the zinc of the chloride of zine, and the manganese of the peroxide of
manganese present, into sulphates. In this way I obtain, first, gaseous
chlorine, and, secondly, a double salt, or mixture of sulphate of zinc
and sulphate of manganese, which mixture is purified, if required, from
iron by the same operations that are applied or described in reference
to the pure & simple sulphate of manganese process, as above. The
double or mixed sulphates of zinc and manganese so obtained consti-
tute a valuable residual product. The relative proportions of the

page_text: materials just specified are regulated as usual by the chemical equiva-
lents, and the process is conducted in similar apparatus & in a similar
manner to the operations with the other ordinary materials used in the
production of chlorine.
The third part of my Invention consists in using chloride of calcium
or muriate of lime as the source of the chlorine, & in thus obtaining,
as a valuable residue, a mixture of the sulphates of manganese and
lime, together with some per-sulphate of iron from the iron (if any) in
the peroxide of manganese employed. This mixed residue is itself ap-
plicable to several useful purposes; or I separate the sulphate of man-
ganese from it by heating the mixture and lixiviation, and then obtain,
as the residue, a mixture of peroxide of iron & sulphate of lime.
valuable as a pigment and in other purposes. When the production of
the peroxide of iron by itself or in combination or form as a pigment,
as just described, is required in larger proportion than that yielded by
the quantity of iron usually associated with native peroxide of man-
ganese,
I add to the above mixture or mixtures chloride or muriate of
iron in proportion sufficient, finally, to yield a greater or the required
proportion of the peroxide of iron in the residues; or I employ muriate
of iron entirely as the source of the chlorine in the chlorine mixtures,
decomposing it by means of peroxide of manganese and sulphuric acid,
as above described, and thus obtaining, first, gaseous chlorine, and,
2ndly, a residue of sulphate of manganese and per-sulphate of iron,
the latter convertible, if required, into peroxide of iron by decomposi-
tion, as usual.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in using chloride of mag-
nesium or muriate of magnesia as the source of the chlorine, & in
obtaining a residue consisting of double or mixed sulphate of manga-
nese and magnesia applicable in like manner to many useful purposes.
To the muriate of magnesia in solution is added peroxide of manganese
and sulphuric acid sufficient to convert both the magnesia and the
manganese oxide into sulphates, whilst gaseous chlorine is evolved.
The fifth part of my Invention consists in using muriate of alumina
along with peroxide of manganese and sulphuric acid for the produc-
tion, first, of gaseous chlorine, and, secondly, of a residue consisting

page_text: of double or mixed sulphates of alumina and manganese. And in
like manner, as in other instances above, I regulate the proportions
of these elements by their chemical equivalents. The mixed sul-
phates of alumina & manganese can, if required, be purified from
any iron incidentally present, by applications of processes that are
well known, and thus form a residue applicable and valuable for
many useful purposes.