An Improved Method of Preventing Spontaneous Ignition of Liquid Hydrocarbons Used for Cleansing and other Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1894-Accepted, 20th Oct., 1894
An Improved Method of Preventing Spontaneous Ignition of Liquid
Hydrocarbons Used for Cleansing and other Purposes.
I, Dr. MAX MORITZ FERDINAND RICHTER, of 10 Spaldingstrasse, Hamburg,
in the Empire of Germany, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a method of preventing spontaneous ignition, due to
frictional electricity, of liquid hydrocarbons used for cleansing and other purposes
especially of benzene, naphtha, gasoline, petroleum-ether, petroleum, benzol and
toluol.
The benzene fires occurring in almost uninterrupted succession have given rise
These
to many proposals to prevent such fires by various precautionary measures.
proposals, however, have not proved successful, because they aim at the destruction
of the electrical excitations. The aim however should be not to destroy the
electrical excitations but to prevent them from occurring at all. There are in
organic chemistry a great number of compounds which, when added to the benzene
or the like, prevent the electrical excitations.. But these compounds have almost
without exception the drawback that they either render the benzene unsuitable for
cleansing purposes or that such a high percentage must be used that the substance
added often costs more than the benzene itself. Among these compounds only one
class of substances has proved suitable, because these substances completely achieve
the desired object by the use of very small quantities, and because they do not
produce any deleterious secondary effects in the chemical cleansing. This agent,
to which I give the name of "antibenzenepyrene," consists chiefly of magnesium
oleate which acts even in a 0.01 to 0.1 per cent. solution. It is dissolved in the
above-mentioned hydrocarbons which are used in chemical washing establishments,
wax cloth and leather cloth factories and in various trades, and prevents by its
antielectric action the occurrence of electric excitations to which the ignitions of
the hydrocarbons may be ascribed. With a benzene thus prepared it is not
possible to cause spontaneous ignitions and fires by artificial means;
sensitive electroscope remains at rest, and no trace of electricity can be detected.
Besides magnesium oleate, any other oleates have an antielectric action, but they
show this property to a less degree. For instance it is necessary to use four times
as much aluminium oleate and even twenty times as much calcium oleate than
magnesium oleate. In these oleates the oleic acid may be replaced by other fatty
acids, such as for example by linoleic acid, ricinoleic acid, stearic acid, margaric
acid or palmitic acid. In lieu of the magnesia in the magnesium oleate, use may
also be made of the oxides of the light and heavy metals, for instance the
aluminate.
even the
1000

page_text: An Improved Method of Preventing Spontaneous Ignition of Liquid
Hydrocarbons Used for Cleansing and other Purposes.
I, Dr. Max MORITZ FERDINAND RICHTER, of 10 Spaldingstrasse, Hamburg,
in the Empire of Germany, Chemist, 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 :-
'
My invention relates to improvements in preventing spontaneous ignition of
liquid hydrocarbons used for cleansing and other purposes, especially of benzene,
naphtha, gasoline, petroleum-ether, petroleum, benzol and toluol, and it is based
upon the observations made by way of experiments that such ignitions are caused
by electrical excitations occurring from frictional electricity produced on rinsing
woollen or silk cloths or yarns in benzene.
Many proposals to prevent such fires by various precautionary measures have
been made. These proposals, however, have not proved successful, because they
aim at the destruction of the electrical excitations. The aim however, should be
not to destroy the electrical excitations but to prevent them from occurring at all.
There are in organic chemistry a great number of compounds which, when added
to the benzene or the like, prevent the electrical excitations. But these compounds
have almost without exception the drawback that they either render the benzene
unsuitable for cleansing purposes or that such a high percentage must be used that
the substance added often costs more than the benzene itself. Among these
compounds only one class of substances has proved suitable, because these substances
completely achieve the desired object by the use of very small quantities, and
because they do not produce any deleterious secondary effects in the chemical
cleansing. This agent, to which I give the name of "antibenzenepyrene," consists
chiefly of magnesium oleate which acts even in a 0.01 to 0.1 per cent. solution. It
is dissolved in the above-mentioned hydrocarbons which are used in chemical
washing establishments, wax cloth and leather cloth factories and in various other
trades, and prevents by its antielectric action the occurrence of electric excitations
to which the ignitions of the bydrocarbons may be ascribed. With a benzene thus
prepared it is not possible to artificially cause spontaneous ignitions and fires even
in the presence and ou the employment of all means which would act in favour of
the same, even the sensitive electroscope remains at rest, and no trace of electricity
can be detected.
Besides magnesium oleate, any other oleates have an antielectric action, but they
show this property to a less degree. For instance it is necessary to use four times
as much aluminium oleate and even twenty times as much calcium oleate as
magnesium oleate. In these oleates the oleic acid may be replaced by other fatty
acids, such as for example by linoleic acid, ricinoleic acid, stearic acid, margaric
acid or palmitic acid. In lieu of the magnesia in the magnesium oleate, use may
also be made of the oxides of the light and heavy metals, for instance the
aluminate.
If in the foregoing I have mentioned the oleates and fatty acid salts as additions
to benzene and other hydrocarbons for the desired purpose, there are particularly
to be taken into consideration, such salts which are anhydrous to such an extent,
that they remain for weeks dissolved (not suspended) in the benzene whilst the
hydrous fatty acid salts, that is to say the soaps, are of no effect at all or they act
entirely in an uncertain manner as means for preventing the occurrence of electrical
excitations.
By this characteristic the present invention is particularly distinguished from the
methods hitherto known, according to which the benzene used for cleansing and
similar purposes has been mixed with certain substances, because all these

page_text: admixtures-being more or less rich in water--are not maintainable in solution in
the benzene and are therefore unable to prevent the spontaneous ignition of the
benzene. Such admixtures are in most cases not at all adapted to answer the
aforesaid purpose, but are merely adapted to improve the cleansing effect of
the benzene and do not act antielectrically.
If however one part caustic potash or caustic soda is dissolved in four to six parts
anhydrous alcohol and mixed with the equivalent quantity (5—7 parts) of a fatty
acid, for instance oleic acid and if required with addition of Panama-bark, ether,
alcobol, acetic ether, chloroform, tetra-chloride of carbon and the like, an alcoholic
soap lye remaining liquid at ordinary temperature and containing only a minute
quantity of water is formed which remains dissolved in the benzene and then acts
antielectrically, inasmuch as a certain quantity (at least 2 per cent.) has been added
to the aforesaid solution.
Absolutely reliable and safe results, even if very minute quantities are employed,
can be obtained by means of fatty acid salts, which are produced by dissolving
in moderately heated liquid hydrocarbous well dried magnesium oleate, or linoleate
of potash, sodium, aluminium and the like and heating such solutions for a certain
while up to 130 degrees centigrade, in order to expel the last traces of water, which
may be present as such, or in the form of the hydrate. Equally safe-acting
anhydrous salts result, when the oxides of the light and heavy metals with
equivalent quantities of fatty acids are heated for a longer while in liquid
hydrocarbons.
Chiefly, these three and more particularly the two last named species of salts are
applicable in performing the desired result, and it should be clearly understood
that the main feature of my present invention consists in employing as an admixture
to liquid hydrocarbons such fatty acid salts which continue in clear solution, in
contradistinction to such admixtures which are only kept suspended or finely
distributed in the hydrocarbons, or which become so distributed soon after the same
are poured into the hydrocarbons, because with the separation the effect of
preventing electrical excitations within the liquid is lost.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The process of preventing spontaneous ignition of liquid hydrocarbons of the
aliphatic and aromatic series used for cleansing and other purposes, which consists
in preventing the occurrence of electrical excitation by adding to the said
hydrocarbons such fatty acid salts which remain in clear solution therein,
substantially as set forth.
2. The herein described composition of matter to be used for cleansing and
other purposes, consisting of liquid hydrocarbons of the aliphatic and aromatic series
and such fatty acid salts which are clearly soluble therein, substantially as set
forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.