IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING METALLIC ORES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HUGH
LEE PATTINSON, of Bensham, near Gateshead, Durham, Gentleman, and WIL-
LIAM SEPTIMUS LOяH, of Walker, Northumberland, 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 Third day of April, in the second year of Her reign, did, for.
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Hugh Lee
Pattinson and William Septimus Losh, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said Hugh Lee Pattinson and William
Septimus Losh, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said Hugh Lee Pattinson and William Septimus Losh, our exors, adñors, 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, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REDUCING
METALLIC ORES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
we, the said Hugh Lee Pattinson and William Septimus Losh, or one
of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our 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, we, the said
Hugh Lee Pattinson and William Septimus Losh, do hereby declare the

page_text: nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates, -
First, to a mode of reducing ores of lead by dissolving such as are acted on
by it in muriatic acid, and converting the resulting chloride of lead into oxide
of lead, by the addition of lime or magnesia, or other earth.
And secondly, our Invention relates to a mode of reducing ores of antimony,
especially the sulphuret of antimony, by dissolving it in muriatic acid, and
converting the resulting chloride into oxide, either by dilution with water, or
by the addition of lime or magnesia or other earth.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully described and readily
understood, we will explain the processes we have pursued, and found to
answer.
DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS TO REDUCE ORES OF LEAD INTO A STATE OF
OXIDE OF LEAD.
Into a wooden vessel (lined with lead), which is capable of being closed
air-tight, the lead ores powdered are to be put, and to be heated with muriatic
acid until entirely converted into chloride of lead. The strength of the acid
we prefer is not less than 1.10. The vessel and its contents are kept heated
by steam, or other convenient means, to about 212° Fahrenheit. In carrying
on this process on galena or sulphuret of lead sulphuretted hydrogen gas will
be evolved, which may be conveyed away by a proper pipe issuing from the
air-tight vessel, and used for any purpose for which it is applicable. The
chloride of lead, which is very slightly soluble in cold water, is then to be
dissolved in hot water in any suitable vessel of lead, and by applying cream of
lime, or lime water, or magnesia, or barytes, or other earth (we prefer lime),
to the solution so obtained, oxide of lead will be precipitated. We find that
one hundredweight of the dry chloride of lead requires about thirty pounds of
unslacked lime. By this means we are enabled, in the reduction of the ores
of lead, to apply the sulphur contained in the ores which contain sulphur to
useful purposes, and to obtain the metal from all in larger quantity and of
great purity; and such is also the case in reducing the ores of antimony by a
similar process, as hereafter explained. And it should be stated, that when it
is desired to convert the oxide of lead so procured into blue lead, or lead of
commerce, the same is to be subjected to heat in the ordinary way, with car-
bonaceous matters in a reverberatory or other suitable furnace.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS TO REDUCE ORES OF ANTIMONY INTO A STATE OF
OXIDE OF ANTIMONY.
The only known ores of antimony worth reducing are the sulphurets.
These are to be placed in a similar wooden vessel, as above described, lined
with lead, and mixed with sufficient muriatic acid of the before-named strength
to entirely dissolve the antimony, by which means we obtain liquid chloride of
antimony. The mixture is heated, as before described, by steam or other
convenient means. In this process, as in the former one, sulphuretted
hydrogen will be evolved, and the same may be beneficially employed in
making sulphuric acid, or for other useful purposes. The liquid chloride of
antimony is then to be simply mixed with water, by which the antimony is
thrown down as a white precipitate, or else with cream of lime, or with lime
water, or magnesia, as described for the lead. The oxide of antimony so
precipitated may, if desired, be further reduced and produced in the metallic
state by heating it in close vessels with carbonacious matters. The proportion
of unslacked lime to sulphuret of antimony originally used is about forty
pounds of the former to ninety pounds of the latter. This varies, however, as
the solution of chloride is more or less acid. We would remark, that the
further reduction into the metallic state, whether in respect to the lead or the
antimony, forms no part of our Invention, which only relates to that part of
the reduction which consists in treating the ores of lead and of antimony
according to the modes herein explained, without reference to the objects to
which those oxides may be applied.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with for performing the same, we would have it understood
that what we claim is,-
First, the mode of reducing ores of lead into a state of oxide of lead, as
above described, by converting them first into chlorides, and then decomposing
the chloride so procured by lime or magnesia, or other suitable earthy
matter.
And secondly, we claim the mode of reducing the ores of antimony into a
state of oxide of antimony, by previously converting them into chlorides, and
then decomposing the chloride by either water or lime, or magnesia, or other
suitable earth, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Septimus Losh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this 19th day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
W. S. (L.S.) LOSH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of September, in
the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid William Septimus Losh came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifica-
tion aforesaid; 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..
Inrolled the Third day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.