Improvements in the Electrolytic Treatment of Tin, and its Separation from Alloys and Mechanical Mixtures
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Electrolytic Treatment of Tin, and its
Separation from Alloys and Mechanical Mixtures.
We, CARL FREDERICK CLAUS Junior, of Waunarlydd, near Swansea, in the
County of Glamorgan, Electro-metallurgist, and HERBERT SELWOOD SUTTON,
of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin Smelter, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the electrolytic treatment of tin and
in its separation from alloys or mechanical mixtures coated or incorporated with tin,
and the object of our invention is to separate the tin in a pure state from said
alloys or mechanical mixtures in the manner and by the improved means
hereinafter described.
Our invention cousists in immersing the alloys or mechanical mixture containing
tin in an alkaline solution or compound of solutions containing sulphide or
sulphides used for dissolving tiu-and passing an electric current through said
alloys or mixtures employed as the anode or positive pole, and the vessel which
contains the solution referred to, is provided with a suitable cathode or negative
pole, whereby the tin is deposited in the form of metallic tin upon said cathode
and may be recovered therefrom. In the event of said deposited metallic tin
containing antimony or arsenic or both, our invention further consists in immersing
said deposited metallic tin in a bath of diluted hydrochloric acid of suitable
strength to which hypo-sulphite of soda is added as required-and passing an
electric current through said deposited tin which deposited tin is employed as the
anode.
In carrying out our invention, we immerse the alloys or mechanical mixture
containing tin, in an alkaline sulphide bath, which bath is preferably heated and is
composed principally of sulpho-stannate of sodium, but any other alkaline solution
or compound of solutions containing sulphide or sulphides-in which tin is soluble
-may be employed. The said alloys or mixture when immersed as described, is
employed as the anode, which anode is made in any convenient form, and we
provide the bath referred to with a cathode consisting preferably of tin, but any
other suitable metal or conductor of electricity may be employed.
By means of an electric current which we pass through the material treated,
the tin is deposited in the form of metallic tin upon the cathode, and is recovered
therefrom in any suitable manner.
The residual metals or other material (except antimony and arsenic) contained
in the anode, are precipitated as sulphides-together with those metals or residue
which are insoluble in the electrolyte-to the bottom of the bath from which they
may be drawn off and further treated by any known methods.
In the event of the deposited metallic tin containing either antimony or arsenic
or both, we may employ said deposited metallic tin as the anode in a bath of
sufficiently diluted hydrochloric acid to which hyposulphite of soda is added as
required; we also provide said bath with a cathode such as herein before described,
and by passing an electric current through said metallic tin the antimony or arsenic
or both are precipitated to the bottom of the bath from which they may be drawu

page_text: off and treated further, whereas the pie metallic tin is deposited upon the cathode
from which it may be recovered by any usual and well known method.
Dated this 4th day of January 1895.
HORN, SON & Co.,
Applicants' Agents.
Improvements in the Electrolytic Treatment of Tin, and its
Separation from Alloys and Mechanical Mixtures.
We, CARL FREDERICK CLAUS Junior, of Waunarlydd, near Swansea, in the
County of Glamorgan, Electro-metallurgist, and HERBERT SELWOOD SUTTON,
of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan, Tin Smelter, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the electrolytic treatment of 'tin 'and
its separation from alloys, or other material or materials coated such as "scrap
tin”.
- or incorporated with tin, and the object of our invention is to separate the
tin in a pure state from said alloys or other material or materials, in the manner
and by the improved means hereinafter described.
Our invention consists in immersing the alloy or other material or materials
containing tin, in an alkaline solution or compound of solutions containing sulphide
or sulphides, used for dissolving tin, and passing an electric current through said
alloy or other material or materials which alloy or other material or materials is or
are employed in the bath as the anode or positive pole, and the vessel which
contains the solution referred to is provided with a suitable cathode or negative
pole, the arrangement and action of the whole being such that, on the application
of an electric current as described, the tin from the alloy or other material or
materials, is deposited in the form of metallic tin upon the said cathode, and may
be recovered therefrom. In the event of said deposited metallic tin containing
antimony or arsenic or both, our invention further consists in immersing said
deposited metallic tin in a bath of diluted bydrochloric acid of suitable strength
to which hyposulphite of soda is added as required-and passing an electric current
through said deposited tin, which deposited tin is employed as the anode.
In carrying out our invention, we immerse the alloy or other material or
materials containing tin, in an alkaline sulphide bath, which bath is preferably
heated and is composed preferably of 1 part of sulpho-stannate of sodium and
2 parts of water. The alkaline sulphide bath which we have found in practice to
be best suited to its intended purpose, consists principally of a solution of sulpho
stannate of sodium of specific gravity 1070 and heated to approximately
90° Centigrade which solution may be expressed by the formula SnS,Na,, but
any other alkaline solution or compound of solutions containing sulphide or
sulphides, in which tin is soluble, may be employed.
By means of an electric current of approximately 10 amperes per square foot of
anode surface which we pass through the alloy or other material or materials
containing tin and used as the anode, the tin is deposited in the form of metallic
tin upon the cathode and may be recovered therefrom in any suitable manner.
The residual metals or other material (except antimony and arsenic) contained
in the anode, are precipitated as sulphides-together with those metals or residue
which are insoluble in the electrolyte- -to the bottom of the bath from which they
may be drawn off and further treated by any known methods.
In the event of the deposited metallic tin containing either antimony or arsenic
or both, we may employ said deposited metallic tin as the anode in a bath of
sufficiently diluted hydrochloric acid to which hyposulphite of soda is added as

page_text: required; we also provide said bath with a cathode such as herein-before described,
and by passing an electric current through said metallic tin, the antimony or
arsenic or both are precipitated to the bottom of the bath as sulphides from which
they may be drawn off and treated further, whereas the pure metallic tin is
deposited upon the cathode from which it may be recovered by any usual and
well known method.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
66
1. The improved process of recovering tin from alloys. or other material or
materials coated-such as scrap tin "or incorporated with tin, said process
consisting in immersing the alloy or other material or materials in an alkaline bath.
or solution preferably heated and containing sulphide or sulphides, and passing an
electric current through said alloy or material, said alloy or material being
employed as the anode and the vessel containing the bath or solution being
provided with a suitable cathode, all for the purposes and substantially as set
forth.
2. In the process of recovering tin from alloys, or other material or materials
coated such as 66
scrap tin "or incorporated with tin, the employment of an
alkaline bath or solution containing sulphide or sulphides, in which bath or solution
the said alloy or other material or materials is or are immersed, for the purpose and
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of October 1895.
CARL FREDERICK CLAUS, JUNIOR,
HERBERT SELWOOD SUTTON,
By their Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
Somerset Chambers, 151 Strand, London.