Improvements in the Production of Magnesic Chloride and of Magnesic Oxychlorides.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Magnesic Chloride and of
Magnesic Oxychlorides.
I FARNHAM MAXWELL LYTE of 60 Finborough Road, London S.W. Analytical
Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
One of the chief impediments to the manufacture of chlorine from magnesic oxy-
chloride is the difficulty of drying the oxychloride, as it has hitherto been made, and
the consequent loss of much of the chlorine as hydrochloric acid. This defect was
pointed out by Professor Dewar in his paper read in December 1887 before The
Society of Chemical Industry and published in the Journal of that Society of the
31st of that month.
The object of my invention is the production of the magnesic chloride and oxy-
chlorides, anhydrous and in a state of purity or nearly so, thus avoiding this cause
of loss.
There are two general methods of forming anhydrous oxychlorides:-
:-
1st. Mixing the pure magnesic chloride in a fused or powdered state, with dry
magnesia and
2ndly. What amounts to the same thing, viz.: adding to the ammonic-magnesic
double chloride sufficient magnesia to convert the ammonic chloride it contains
into magnesic chloride and enough magnesia in excess to form the oxychloride
desired, ammonia at the same time being disengaged in the gaseous state.
Powdered magnesia, when it has not been strongly burnt, if wetted may be
fashioned into balls or other shapes and these being left for a short time will set into
hard coherent masses which, on being heated, become anhydrous and, while retaining
their coherence, become extremely porous and absorbent.
The double ammonic magnesic chloride left, may then be evaporated to dryness and
heated till it becomes anhydrous and, by further heating, this double salt may be con-
verted into the anhydrous magnesic chloride, ammonic chloride, more or less pure
volatilizing. This anhydrous magnesic chloride, when fused, will be absorbed with
avidity by the porous agglomerated magnesia and will form with the magnesia an
oxychloride. It may also be mixed with the magnesia, both of them being in powder,
in any desired proportions and agglomerated by heating or by moistening with very
little water, far less of which is required than what is retained by the oxychloride, as
now made, even when it has been dried with the most scrupulous care, or the fused
salt may be poured over powdered magnesia, placed in a tray, to form an oxy-
chloride. The double ammonic-magnesic chloride may also, if preferred, be mixed
with three-fifths of its weight of dry magnesia and heated, when ammonia is expelled.
The resulting mass, if desired, may be powdered and agglomerated with a very little
water, when it will set like plaster, into a very coherent mass. This will be a
di-magnesic oxy-di-chloride Mg Cl, Mg O and, of course, any other magnesic oxy-
chlorides may be made on the same model, or even plain magnesic chloride produced,
by merely changing the amount of magnesia added.
Dated this 10th day of A 1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Magnesio Chloride and of
Magnesic Oxychlorides.
I, FARNHAM MAXWELL LYTE of 60 Finborough Road, London, S.W. Analytical
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 :-
One of the chief impediments to the manufacture of chlorine from magnesic oxy-
chloride is the necessity of drying the oxychloride, as usually made, and the
consequent loss of much of the chlorine as hydrochloric acid, and the costly apparatus
required.
This defect was pointed out by Professor Dewar in his paper read in December
1887 before The Society of Chemical Industry and published in the Journal of that
Society on the 31st of that month.
The object then of my invention is the production of magnesic chloride and its
oxychlorides, in the anhydrous condition so as to avoid the above mentioned cause of
loss.
My Invention comprises two methods of forming anhydrous magnesic oxychlorides,
by the second of which anhydrous magnesic chloride may also be formed, viz.:
1st. Mixing pure anhydrous magnesic chloride in a fused state with dry magnesia;
or mixing the two together in a powdered condition and subjecting to heat, if
necessary.
2ndly. Adding to anhydrous ammonic-magnesic double chloride sufficient magnesia
to convert the ammonic chloride contained into magnesic chloride (and, if oxychloride
is to be produced, enough magnesia in excess to form the oxychloride desired) and
expelling the ammonia by heat, as hereafter described.
In carrying out the first method, powdered magnesia which has not been strongly
burnt is wetted and fashioned into balls or other shapes which after being left for a
short time, particularly in a damp place, set into hard coherent masses. These masses
on being heated become anhydrous and, while retaining their coherence, become
extremely porous and absorbent.
Anhydrous magnesic chloride may be produced by evaporating double ammonic-
magnesic chloride to dryness, heating it until it becomes anhydrous, and further
heating until the double salt is converted into the anhydrous magnesic chloride as
usual ammonic chloride volatilizing. This anhydrous magnesic chloride is to be fused
and the lumps of magnesia, prepared as above described, immersed therein or the fused
salt may be applied in any convenient manner, whereupon the chloride will be
absorbed with avidity by the porous agglomerated magnesia and will form with the
magnesia an oxychloride.
Ör the fused magnesic chloride may be poured over powdered magnesia, placed in
a tray, to form an oxychloride and the mass may then be heated to render the com-
bination complete.
The anhydrous magnesic chloride may also be mixed with the magnesia, both of
them being in powder, in any desired proportions and agglomerated by heating.
According to the second method of carrying out the invention, the dry double
ammonic-magnesic chloride is powdered and mixed with say about three-fifths of its
weight of dry magnesia, also in powder, and heated to about the fusing point of
anhydrous magnesic chloride whereupon ammonia is expelled. This heating must be
carefully conducted and must not exceed about 300° C. The heat must be applied
gradually, otherwise ammonic chloride will volatilize unchanged, the materials being
well. mixed occasionally. If these precautions be observed, little or no hydrochloric
acid will be formed by the decomposition of any part of the magnesic chloride. By
this method, the hydrochloric acid and the ammonia are separated the ammonia first
going off and then on carefully heating more strongly the hydrochloric acid is split
up, forming magnesic chloride and water which slowly escapes. Thus, not only the
•

page_text: magnesic chloride which the double salt originally contained, but also as much more
magnesic chloride, resulting from the combination of the magnesia with the hydro-
chloric acid of the ammonic chloride is obtained, the resulting mass being about of
the composition of a di-magnesic oxy-di-chloride Mg Cl, Mg O or an oxychloride
containing a little more magnesia than this.
Any other anhydrous magnesic oxychlorides may be made by the same method, or
even plain anhydrous magnesic chloride may he produced by merely changing the
amount of magnesia added.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;
1. The herein described method of producing anhydrous magnesic oxychlorides,
which consists in absorbing fused magnesic chloride by porous lumps of magnesia
prepared as described, or mixing fused magnesic chloride with powdered magnesia and
subjecting the mass to heat, if required, as specified.
2. The herein described method of producing anhydrous magnesic chloride or oxy-
chlorides, which consists in mixing dry or anhydrous double ammonic-magnesic
chloride with sufficient magnesia (both being in powder) to combine with the chlorine
of the ammonic chloride (and, if oxychloride be required, with enough magnesia in
excess of this, to form an oxychloride) and heating the mixture to expel ammonia and
effect the combination, as specified.
Dated 1
Ot
USTILI Y
1000
LUNAS
WED UUE CAY ULUSOTILHAY LUNAS
F. MAXWELL LYTE.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.