IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALIES FROM THEIR SULPHATES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Balmain, of Saint Helens, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, and Thomas Colby, of the
same Place, Practical Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 27th June 1856, and dated the 23rd April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Balmain
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd April 1856.
We, WILLIAM HENRY BALMAIN, of Saint Helens, in the County of Lan-
caster, Manufacturing Chemist, and THOMAS COLBY, of the same Place,
Practical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ALKALIES FROM THEIR SULPHATES, to be
as follows:-
Our Invention of improvements in the manufacture of alkalies from their
sulphates, consists in the use of barytes or carbonates of barytes, as a means
of decomposing an alkaline sulphate, and it is applicable to the manufacture
of caustic as well as carbonated alkalies. If the alkali is required in a caustic

page_text: or free state we take some alkaline sulphate, say, for example, the sulphate of
potass, of soda, or of ammonia, and having dissolved it in water we add caustic
barytes, either solid or in solution, until a further addition thereof no longer
produces sulphate of barytes. The whole is then allowed to stand, and the
clear alkaline liquor drawn off for use as such; or, in case of potass or soda,
it may be concentrated until it is of such strength as to solidify on cooling.
The sediment of sulphate of barytes is washed and dried, and may be advan-
tageously used as a white paint.
When we wish to obtain the alkali in the state of carbonate, we either first
prepare a caustic alkali in the way already described, and subsequently car-
bonate it by exposure to carbonic acid derived from a lime kiln or eliminated
by any of the ordinary processes. Or, we take carbonate of barytes and
-riturate it in a solution of the alkaline sulphate, by which means we obtain
a carbonate of the alkali in solution and a sediment of sulphate of barytes.
In these processes we use either the natural carbonate of barytes or the
precipitated carbonate prepared from the sulphuret of barium by the action
of carbonic acid.
The caustic barytes we obtain either by decomposing the sulphuret of
barium with a metallic oxide or by heating the carbonate mixed with car-
bonaceous matter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Balmain in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY BALMAIN, of Saint Helens, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturing
Chemist, and THOMAS COLBY, of the same Place, Practical Chemist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Henry Balmain and Thomas Colby, Her special license, that we, the
said William Henry Balmain and Thomas Colby, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Henry Balmain and

page_text: Thomas Colby, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ALKALIES FROM THEIR SULPHATES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Henry Balmain and Thomas Colby, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Henry Balmain and Thomas
Colby, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists in converting alkaline sulphates into carbonates by
means of carbonate of barytes. In order to set up the desired chemical
action between theso substances we dissolve the alkaline sulphate that is
intended to be operated upon in water, and keep the solution so obtained for
some time agitated in contact with finely ground or precipitated carbonate
of barytes. When the decomposition is complete or as far advanced as is
deemed necessary, the mixture is allowed to settle, and the clear liquor is
either used as such or is evaporated in order to obtain the alkalino carbonato
as a solid. The sulphate of barytes which remains is washed and dried by
any of the ordinary methods, and is suitable for any of the purposes for which
that article is used in the arts.
Our process is applicable to the three alkalies, potass, soda, and ammonia ;
but in the latter case the evaporation cannot be resorted to, and the alkaline
carbonate must be used in the liquid form.
We can also effect the decomposition of the alkaline sulphate by carbonate
of barytes, simply by keeping a mixture of the two substances in a damp
state; but we prefer the plan of dissolving the sulphate of potass, soda, or
ammonia in water, as aforesaid.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim obtaining alkaline

page_text: carbonates by decomposing the sulphates of the alkalies with carbonate of
barytes, as above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Balmain and Thomas
Colby, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-second day
of October, in the year of Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six
W. H. BALMAIN. (L.S.)
THOMAS COLBY. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the said
William Henry Balmain and Thomas
Colby, in the presence of
H. GASKELL TAYLOR, of Saint Helen's aforesaid,
A Commissioner to administer Oaths in Chancery in England.