IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARSENIC, SULPHURIC ACID, AND THE OXIDE OF ANTIMONY, FROM COPPER AND OTHER ORES IN WHICH THEY ARE COMBINED, AND ALSO THE OXIDE OF ZINC
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRERETON
TODD, of the Bank, Falmouth, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of
February (One thousand eight hundred and fifty), in the thirteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Brereton Todd, my exors, adñmors, and assigns, Her especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Brereton Todd, my
exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Brereton Todd,
my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARSENIC, SULPHURIC ACID, AND THE OXIDE OF
ANTIMONY, FROM COPPER AND OTHER ORES IN WHICH THEY ARE COMBINED, AND ALSO
THE OXIDE OF ZINC ;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that
I, the said Brereton Todd, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled 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

page_text: 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
Brereton Todd, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The principal feature of the Invention consists in submitting uncalcined or
unroasted copper and other ores to the oxidating and reducing flame of a
blast furnace in connection with flues and chambers, and also in making the
spare heat of the said blast furnace applicable in a reverberatory furnace,
oven, or retort, by which process the volatile and non-volatile products are
obtained and made marketable, as herein-after stated. The mode of operation
is as follows:-The furnace having been charged with fuel and heated to the
required temperature, enough fuel being introduced so as to rise to a sufficient
height above the tuyere, a charge of ore in its raw state, either with or without
any suitable flux according to the nature of the ore, is to be put in on the top
of the fuel (much depends on the power of the blast used, and, if a rever-
beratory furnace is attached to the blast furnace in the process, as to the
number of alternate layers of fuel and ore to be introduced at one time of
charging), and the charging aperture immediately closed and luted; when the
charge sinks below a certain depth, which can be easily ascertained by
experience, it is to be replenished in the same manner. Should a calcining
or roasting furnace, attached and heated by the said blast furnace, be used, a
charge of ore is to be introduced into it during the time of charging the blast
furnace, and can be stirred at the time of putting in the succeeding charges.
When considered sufficiently roasted, it may either be drawn out or pushed
towards the blast furnace to be fused, and a fresh charge introduced.
As regards the manufacture of arsenic, I take copper and other ores in
which it is contained, commonly known as arsenical ores, and submit them
without any previous calcination or roasting to the action of a blast furnace,
as above described, into which they are placed for the purpose of separating
the arsenic, in the form of vapour, from the non-volatile metals contained in
the ore; the arsenic is volatilised, and the non-volatile metals, in the state of
regulus, fall with the scoria into the lower part of the furnace, and separate
by difference of gravity, the regulus sinking under the scoria or slag), and are
tapped off at different levels. I also put a charge of the same sort of ore into
the calciner or furnace, through which the vapours and gases from the above
blast furnace pass. The volatilised arsenic is carried off with the gases arising
from combustion, and passes into the flues and chambers, where it is condensed

page_text: in the state of oxide, whence it is removed and purified by being sublimed by
the well-known processes now in general use, and any copper or zinc that may
have been volatilised will be found in the refuse.
As regards the manufacture of sulphuric acid, I take the sulphuret of
copper or of iron, and without any previous roasting or calcination submit
them to the process, as above described for the arsenical ores; the volatilised
sulphur is carried off with the gases arising from combustion, and passes
through the flues into the chambers in the state of sulphurous gas, where it is
to be converted into sulphuric acid by causing it to come in contact with
steam and oxygen, as generally practised.
As regards the manufacture of antimony, I take ores mingled with antimony,
and submit them, without any previous roasting or calcination, to the same
process as above described for arsenical ores; the volatilised antimony is carried
off with the gases arising from combustion and passes into the flues and
chambers, where it is condensed in the state of oxide of antimony, which
oxide I purify by resubliming in a reverberatory furnace, and condensing the
fumes in Blues or chambers. Should the ores operated on contain the sulphuret
of lead, it will be volatilised and found principally deposited in the flue nearest
the furnace in the state of sulphuret of lead, and that portion mingled with
the oxide of antimony, previous to its resublimation, will be left in the
reverberatory furnace in the state of oxido of lead. Or, take the above orcs
containing antimony and submit them to a process of calcination in a
reverberatory furnace, and condense the volatilized antimony in the state of
oxide in flues and chambers, at the same time allowing the sulphur the ores
contain to fly off in the state of sulphurous gas.
As regards the manufacture of the oxdie of zinc, I take copper and other
ores containing zinc, and without any previous calcination or roasting submit
them to the same process as above described for arsenical ores; the volatilized
zinc is carried off with the gases arising from combustion, and passes into the
flues and chambers, where it is condensed in the state of oxide; the principal
part of the sulphur with which zinc was mineralized is driven off in the state
of sulphurous gas, but may be converted into sulphuric acid, as above described,
and condensed with the oxide of zinc so as to form sulphate of zinc; the
above oxide of zinc is to be deprived of any arsenic or sulphur that may
have been condensed with it by calcination or roasting in a reverberatory
furnace or retort, and the arsenic or sulphur made available by being con-
densed, as above described. Should the ores operated on contain any sulphuret
of lead, it will be volatilized with the oxide of zinc, and be found principally
in the flue nearest the furnace, in the state of sulphuret of lead; should any bo

page_text: mixed with the oxide of zinc, it is to be calcined until the lead contained in it
is converted into the state of oxide, and may be then separated, either by
washing (as owing to the gravity of the oxide of lead it sinks before the
oxide of zinc), or by reducing the oxide of lead, at a heat not sufficient to
reduce the oxide of zinc, or applied as mingled oxides for glaze or glitter, for
which purpose I also apply the above sublimed sulphuret of lead.
I claim the Invention of submitting copper and other ores, for the purposes
herein described, without any previous roasting or calcination to the action of
a blast furnace in connection with flues and chambers of sufficient size to
condense the volatile products, and by the same process obtain the metallic
substances that do not volatilise in the state of regulus.
Also, of employing the spare heat of the said blast furnace in a calciner or
furnace attached to the same for subliming arsenic, sulphur, and other volatile
substances from the above-named ores.
Also, the manufacture of arsenic, sulphuric acid, oxide of antimony, oxide
of zinc, sulphate of zinc, as above described.
Also, the subliming of the sulphuret of lead from the above ores, and the
condensing of the same, and the separating of it from the oxide of zinc, as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Brereton Todd, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
BRERETON (L.B.) TODD.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Brereton Todd came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.