AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER, TIN, ZINC, AND PEROXIDE OF IRON
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LONGMAID, of the Borough of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Accountant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the First day of January, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Long-
maid, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said William Longmaid, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Longmaid, my exors, admors, 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, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER, TIN, ZINC, AND
PEROXIDE OF IRON;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that
I, the said William Longmaid, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Longmaid, 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 :-
In the Specification of a Patent granted to me on the Twentieth of
October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two, I described an Invention
for treating ores and minerals containing sulphur by operating thereon, when
combined with common salt, in such manner as to convert the salt by the
sulphur evolved into sulphate of soda, at the same time rendering the
metallic matters of the copper and zinc contained in the ores soluble, and then
obtaining those metals from the solution. The Invention claimed under such
Letters Patent was the so treating the ores that there should be a sufficient
quantity of salt employed for beneficially employing all the sulphur evolved in
the manufacture of sulphate of soda. Such process being useful in all the
cases described in the said Specification, not only for obtaining the metals, but
in some cases where the sulphate of soda obtained would amply repay the
cost of the process, though the metallic parts were in themselves such as,
in the case of treating iron pyrites, were not of any material benefit; in fact,
the great object of my former Patent was to obtain sulphate of soda, the
metals obtained being considered a beneficial addition resulting from the
process. Since the inrolment of my said Specification, I have discovered that
there are circumstances under which and situations where ores containing
copper, tin, and zinc, with sulphur, may, with advantage, be treated with
common salt for obtaining the metallic parts, without depending mainly on the
profits derivable from the sulphate of soda. And the present Invention
consists of an improvement in the manufacture of copper, tin, and zinc, by
causing ores containing those metals to be treated with common salt below the
relative quantities described and claimed in the Specification of my said former
Patent. And it should be stated that the more nearly the quantity of salt
approaches sixty by weight to every forty by weight of the sulphur ascertained
to be contained in the ores to be treated containing copper, tin, and zinc, the
more effectually will the metallic portions of the copper and zinc become
soluble in water; though the quantity of common salt may be reduced very
considerably below sixty to forty of sulphur, and yet obtain very beneficial
effects, particularly where the cost of common salt is comparatively great, and
there is no ready sale for sulphate of soda at a price that will repay the
manufacturer for using a larger proportion of common salt. And in order
that my
Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I
will proceed to describe the process as performed by me.

page_text: I cause the salt to be used to be well dried, and the ores containing copper,
tin, or zinc, with sulphur, to be broken to powder; and having ascertained the
quantity of sulphur contained in any quantity of ore about to be treated
according to my Invention, I mix therewith a quantity of salt suitable for
obtaining the metallic parts of the copper and zinc in such a state as to
become readily soluble in water, using more salt when the cost thereof,
coupled with the selling price and demand for sulphate of soda, will justify
my doing so, but below the rate of sixty by weight of common salt to forty by
weight of the ascertained quantity of sulphur, the object of this Invention
being, as above explained, to obtain the metallic parts of the ore separate,
without materially, and in some cases not at all, depending on the value of
the sulphate of soda resulting from the process, this Invention being useful
only in those cases where the manufacturer, from local or other causes, does
not desire to produce a quantity of sulphate of soda so large as would result
from the sulphur contained in an ore if common salt were used in the manner
described in my former Specification. The ores containing copper, tin, or
zinc, mixed with the salt, is to be placed into a suitable furnace; and I prefer
the furnace described in my former Specification, and that the ores and salt
should be successively moved nearer and nearer to the greatest heat of the
furnace, as was fully described in my former Specification; and the ore and
salt mixed together are to be treated in the same manner as was described in
my former Specification, except that there being a reduced quantity of salt
employed the whole may be at once mixed before being introduced into
the furnace. Each charge of ore and salt are to remain from twenty to
twenty-four hours on each bed of the furnace, and to be drawn in about
eighty to ninety-six hours, which the workman will judge of by the muriatic
acid being driven off. And it should be stated, that I have found that some
ores, when so treated with salt, are liable to flux. In such cases I apply
about half a hundredweight of small anthracite coal or other carbon mixed
with a charge of a ton of mixed ore and salt, either when the same indicates
fluxing in the furnace, or with all future charges of the same ore. The charge
being drawn from the furnace, is then to be lixiviated with water in suitable
vessels. The liquor obtained will contain metallic matters in solution, accord-
ing to the nature of the ores operated on, together with sulphate of soda,
muriate of soda, or chloride of sodium. And I wish it to be understood
that this Invention is confined to treating ores containing copper, tin, or
zinc. The copper contained in any liquor obtained as above explained may
be precipitated, as is well understood, by means of iron; and the milk of ling

page_text: may be subsequently employed for separating the zinc, associated with an
excess of lime and with some oxide of iron. The oxide of tin separates from
the liquor by gravity, with residuary matters; and if they be not broken fine
enough for the washing process to separate the oxide of tin they are to
be broken before washing, to separate the tin in the ordinary manner. If the
whole of the copper and zinc be not converted into the soluble form by the
first operation, the insoluble residue may be treated with weak muriatic acid
obtained by condensing that product (as is well understood) as it is evolved
from the furnace where the ores are being treated with common salt, as above
explained, or weak muriatic acid otherwise obtained may be employed to
dissolve the copper and zinc not before rendered soluble in water; and these
metals may be separated from the solutions thus obtained, as above explained.
I would, however, here remark, that I do not claim the use of muriatic acid
for dissolving roasted ores, unless they have been treated with common salt,
muriatic acid having before been employed where ores have not been first
operated on with salt.
In carrying on the above processes according to my Invention peroxide of
iron will be obtained, as well as the other metallic matters above mentioned.
And I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the obtaining peroxide of
iron from ores, excepting where working, as above described, on ores contain-
ing copper, tin, or zinc, in order to improve the manufacture of copper, tin, or
zinc. If the insoluble residue from the first process, above described, contains
oxide of tin, it may be separated from the mass by the process of washing; and
the oxide of tin so obtained may be treated by weak muriatic acid, to remove all
traces of copper and zinc; but I, as above stated, do not claim to use muriatic acid
for dissolving the copper and zinc, unless subsequent to the employment of salt.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would remark, that I am aware that, in addition
to my former Patent, common salt has been used in small quantities (ten
to twelve per cent. of the ores) when treating ores containing copper, &c.,
to obtain silver, before using mercury; and I mention this circumstance
in order to state that I do not claim the use of common salt in any relation of
quantities when combined with the process of amalgamation. And I wish it
to be understood that what I claim is, the mode herein described of manufac-
turing copper, tin, and zinc, by causing ores containing those metals with
sulphur to be treated with common salt, in proportion of less than sixty by
weight of common salt to forty by weight of the sulphur ascertained to be
contained in such ores.

page_text: And I claim the use of muriatic acid, subsequent to the treatment with
common salt, as herein described.
And I also claim the separating of iron from copper, tin, and zinc ores, when
treated as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Longmaid, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
WILLIAM (L.S.) LONGMAID.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of July, in the year
of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid William Longmaid came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, 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 First day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.