IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING COPPER FROM ORES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY RITCHIE, of Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of October, in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Henry Ritchie, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Henry Ritchie, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Henry Ritchie, my exors, adiiors, 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, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING COPPER FROM ORES," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said William Henry Ritchie, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of the 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry Ritchie, do hereby declare that the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say :-
The Invention consists of means of using galvanic currents to precipitate
copper from solutions of sulphate of copper obtained by dissolving copper ores.
Many attempts have heretofore been made to obtain copper from the copper
ores by dissolving them, and then precipitating the copper on to iron or other
metal by galvanic currents, but in such cases the exciting liquid and the
solution of copper have been separate one from the other. Now one part of
the Invention consists in using an exciting liquor in contact with the solution
of copper from which the copper is to be precipitated. And another part of
the Invention is the application of cast iron for receiving the precipitated
copper, though when using other parts of the Invention other metal surfaces
may be employed, and these surfaces I call the generating surfaces. And
another part of the Invention consists in combining sulphate of iron or zinc
with the ores when they are being calcined or roasted. In carrying out the
Invention the ores are calcined in the ordinary manner but mixed with
sulphate of iron or zinc in the state of crystals, which mixing of these matters
will be found to make the process of calcination more easy and rapid; and in
order to know what quantity of sulphate of iron or of zinc is to be used,
the quantity of sulphate of copper obtainable from the copper ore is to be
ascertained in the ordinary manner, and then in roasting the ores a quantity
of sulphate of iron is to be added equal to about one fifth of the sulphate of
copper in the ores; and the calcined copper ore is then to be dissolved, as is
well understood, and such solution is placed in any suitable vessel, and I prefer
them to be rectangular of any convenient length, and on the upper surface
thereof I place a solution of the sulphate of iron to be used as the exciting
solution; and thus prepared I introduce what I call the generating plate or
surface of cast iron, which is connected to copper or other conducting material
with a plate of lead or other suitable metal having an equal extent of surface
with the cast-iron generating surface; and these plates or surfaces so connected
being introduced into solutions in the vessel, the copper in the solution will be
quickly deposited on to the leaden plate, as is well understood when using
like material under the different circumstances to those herein described; for
formerly the solutions were separated and were not in contact, the two metals
used being in different compartments, cells, or chambers, but in metallic
connection. And the great peculiarity of this Invention is, that.whatever be
the arrangement of apparatus used according to this Invention, the exciting

page_text: fluid and the solution of copper is to be in direct contact, and by using sulphate
of copper and sulphate of iron the solution of copper will be at the lower
part of the vessel, and the solution of iron will be at the upper part of
the vessel, owing to being different in specific gravity, and they will so remain
in contact but not mixed. If the vessel employed be of considerable length.
and will allow of it, then several plates of lead or other conducting surfaces'
may be used with several of what I have called generating surfaces, connected
in such manner as to be readily connected and separated to and from a
common connecting bar of copper or other suitable connecting metal. And
I prefer to use lead for what I have called the conducting surfaces, as the
copper can be readily separated therefrom. The generating and conducting
surface may be vertical or horizontal, or in other positions according to the
convenience of the apparatus.
:
Figure 1 shows part of a vessel with apparatus according to the Invention..
a, a, is the vessel containing the liquids; thus the solution of the sulphate of
copper is at the lower part of the vessel, and up to the line b, b, and the
solution of sulphate of iron is at the upper part of the vessel floating on
the solution of sulphate of copper. c, c, is a bar of copper or other suitable
connecting rod, and d is one of many conducting surfaces of lead or other
suitable material. e is one of the generating surfaces, which I prefer to be of
cast iron, and according to the length of this vessel a and the connecting rod c
so may be the number of the plates in action at the same time in the same,
vessel a, as it will be evident that the Invention does not depend on the
number used. It will be found that in the course of working the solution of
the sulphate of copper which at starting is a saturated solution, will become
at its upper part lighter than lower down, and I prefer that it should be drawn
off when it has lost about half its copper; and it is evident that the solution of
sulphate of iron, which at starting I make by mixing two parts of water with
one part of saturated solution, will become at its lower part of greater specific
gravity than the upper part, and I prefer to draw off the solution when it
becomes as dense as the weaker solution which is being drawn off. And in
order to keep up a constant equilibrium in the liquids as nearly as may be, an
outlet may be applied to the vessel a so that the solution of copper may flow
off at the upper part of that fluid, whilst an equal quantity of solution of copper
is by a similar inlet allowed to flow into the vessel a.
And in like manner
there may be an outlet formed to convey off the solution of iron at the lower
part of that fluid, whilst a corresponding quantity of solution of iron of the
same specific gravity as is used for working with may constantly be running
into the vessel a, and this constant change may be regulated by any suitable

page_text: The sulphate of iron thus drawn off may be crystalized, as is well
understood, and used in the process of calcination of the ores.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise means shown so long as the
peculiar character of either part of the Invention be retained. But what I
claim is,-
First the combining with the roasting of ores sulphate of iron or zinc.
Secondly, I claim the mode herein described of manufacturing copper by
using the exciting liquid in contact with the solution of copper.
Thirdly, I claim the use of cast iron for what I have called the generating
surfaces. And,
Fourthly, I claim the use of sulphate of iron as the exciting liquid when.
using galvanic currents to precipitate copper.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Ritchie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.