mprovements in connection with the Manufacture of Gas-ignition Pills.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1899
00th Aug..
1900-Accepted, 3rd Nov.,
1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
mprovements in connection with the Manufacture of Gas-ignition
Pills.
I, ADOLF MARTINI, of 81, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Chemist, do hereby declare
e nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in connection with the process and
ethod of manufacturing pills for the purpose of igniting gas, the object being
produce a pill which can be readily manufactured and employed in a form to
ake it free from many of the defects existing in the ordinary pills at present
use for such purpose.
In connection with the employment of platinum for the purpose of forming
n ignition pill, it is known that a certain number of foreign bodies which effect
fined or greater subdivision of platinum will increase and improve its properties,
and by the utilization of this known action of certain bodies on platinum the
catalytic action of platinum can be taken full advantage of.
Up. to the present time however, the number of foreign bodies into which the
finely divided platinum is to be incorporated has not been considerably increased
and the method of employing the most important of these materials, meerschaum,
together with platinum has not undergone many important improvements.
When producing a good ignition pill care must be taken not only that the
platinum metals are divided as finely as possible in the pills and the single
particles separated by foreign substances, but particular care must be observed
that the admittance of the gases to the interior is not prevented by slagging of
the substance of the pill and further that the chemical property is of such a
character that it avoids the most common obstacle viz. the hygroscopicity of the
substance.
In my present invention I obtain these objects for practical purposes by
5 utilizing substances which have been already employed for the manufacture of
ignition pills.
In addition to meerschaum and platinum metals the rare earths can be utilized.
Combinations of thorium with platinum, and also thorium and meerschaum with
platinum have been known and previously described particularly in the Specifi-
30 cation of English Patent No. 22901 of 1898. When meerschaum has been em-
ployed, pieces of the same have been impregnated with platinic chloride and the
soluble parts of the meerschaum after reduction been removed; but this process
of manufacture does not remedy all the deficiencies, and I therefore construct my
pill in the following manner:-From the raw meerschaum pill I remove i
35 beginning the operation, all soluble parts from the meerschaum inasmuch as the
cause hygroscopicity. The substances must as far as cohesion permits be opene
and lixiviated before the soluble parts can be changed into insoluble by th
following reduction process and by the influence of heat. For this purpos
acids are used, particularly hydrochloric acid, water, besides alkalies in a caref
for some kinds of meerschaum, care being necessary not to endanger t

page_text: thorough cohesion of the process in order that there may be produced a non-
hygroscopic skeleton or frame, which can then no longer be termed meerschaum.
The pores of this skeleton or frame I impregnate with a soluble salt of the
rare earths preferably with thorium nitrate and the nitrate is then reduced by
heat to oxide. The nitrous acid originating in this treatment might produce
changes in the pill, for which reason it becomes absolutely necessary to lixiviate
again energetically with hot water. If this precaution is neglected unpleasant
combinations are formed when saturating the pill with platinic chloride solution,
or on the subsequent reduction. After saturating the pill with a solution of
platinum salts, the reduction of the metal must then be effected either by heat
or by gases; if however, water gas saturated with readily volatile carbonic oxide
is used, the temperature must not be raised too much, as the considerable quantities
of carbonic oxide, contained therein, will form volatile double combinations
causing a considerable quantity of the platinum to disappear.
I sometimes find it advisable to further treat the pills again with water and
acid, although in most cases treating with ammonia and water or vapour is
preferable.
.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with the Manufacture of Gas-ignition
Pills.
I, ADOLF MARTINI, of 81, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, 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:-
-
This invention relates to improvements in connection with the process and
method of manufacturing pills for the purpose of igniting gas, the object being
to produce a pill which can be readily manufactured and employed in a form to
make it free from many of the defects existing in the ordinary pills at present
in use for such purpose.
Since the discovery of the catalytic properties of the metals of the platinum
class numerous attempts have been made to manufacture effective and durable
gas-ignition pills. Those substances most generally employed in the manufacture
of this class of ignition-pills are platinum in a state of very fine distribution and
meerschaum. In the manufacture of the most effective ignition-pills care has
to be taken not only to distribute the platinum metals as thoroughly as possible
in the pores of the pill body and to separate the single particles by heterogeneous
substances, but also to avoid a melting of the pill-body, which would form a
hindrance to the entrance of the gases. Finally the strong hygroscopic tendencies
of the pill substance have to be taken into account. All this may be effected in
a thorough and effective manner by adopting the method hereinafter described.
The substances used are meerschaum, platinum metals and the rare earths. The
use of the latter for these purposes is by no means a new one, as there have pre-
viously been recommended for use in this direction, combinations of thorium
and platinum with meerschaum, and referred in my English Patent No. 22,901
of 1898.

page_text: principal improvements forming the
oject or
anner of treating the materials designed to form the ignition-pill.
the present time pieces of meerschaum are being impregnated with platinum
de and the latter reduced. Generally after this operation the soluble parts
e meerschaum are removed. This process is by no means perfect and it has
found far more effective to proceed after the following manner: First of
he soluble parts are removed from the meerschaum substance, for it is to
that the hygroscopicity of the latter is due. This process has to be effected
out lessening the coherence of the remaining parts. To this end pieces of
rschaum are treated with acids (especially hydrochloric acid) and water.
ies of meerschaum even permit the cautious of alkalies, these latter, how-
, being apt to endanger the coherence of the substance if not applied properly.
this way a non-hygroscropic skeleton is produced which cannot properly be
led meerschaum any longer, but which possesses nearly all the qualities required
the body of a gas-ignition pill.
Some
It is now of great importance to keep this skeleton in a wet state and not to
pose it to any heat. If this skeleton is exposed to red heat, then all the fine
res inside would be destroyed, as the fibre inside of this skeleton cannot stand
e hed heat and the finest pores inside the skeleton would be closed by melting
ad trickling, notwithstanding the fact, that the material of which the skeleton
onsists, cannot be altered by very strong acids.
When
This skeleton is impregnated with a solution of a salt of thorium or any other
f the rare earths. The nitrates are especially adapted for this purpose.
he pores are thoroughly filled with the salt the latter is reduced into the oxide
ery slowly without exposing the pill to any high temperature.
When this operation is finished the pills are lixiviated with hot water.
The body of the pill thus prepared is now impregnated with a solution of
platinum chloride and the latter reduced into metal by heat or gases.
In the latter case if water gas is used to effect the reduction care has to be
taken not to raise the temperature too much, as the somewhat large quantities of
carbonic oxide contained therein might otherwise cause the formation of volatile
double salts and a considerable loss of platinum. In general a repeated cleansing
with water and acids is not necessary, but the use of steam, sulphuric acid, ether
or of ammonia for cleansing is in many cases to be recommended.
as the
In the above mentioned process, I prefer amongst all rare earths, the use of
thorium, as the latter will quicken the catalytic action in the pill as soon
Other rare earths do not show this quality to the same
process has begun.
extent as thorium does.
The above mentioned manner of using a skeleton of meerschaum, together
with platinum and thorium, for ignition pills, can only be made use of, when the
thorium salt is absolutely pure. If there is any little impurity in it (and generally
thorium nitrate, which is sold by the trade, is not absolutely pure) then the pil
will be spoilt by such impure thorium.
I have therefore discovered another method in which I make use of the com
45 bination skeleton of meerschaum platinum salt, and thorium salt.
In this method the thorium is not retained in the interior of the pill, but onl
serves to fill the pores of the skeleton, to keep them in a state such, that the
cannot trickle during the process of manufacture, and to ensure that the platinu
shall find inside the pores of the meerschaum skeleton, the thorium with whi
Thus when the thorium salts are subsequently removed, which tak
50 it mixes.
place as soon as the whole process of reduction is finished, platinum mohr remai
inside the pores of the skeleton in a finer state than can be reached in the ordina
way of producing platinum mohr. The process is then the following for mar
facture of such pills:
53
The skeleton has to be manufactured in the same way as before, by remov
the soluble parts of the meerschaum by means of acid and water.
The wet pills are then saturated with nitrate of thorium and dried very slo

page_text: no high temperature being used. The incorporated thorium salt will thus serve
firstly for the purpose of mixing with the salts of: platinum, for producing the
finest division of the platinum mohr inside the pill, and secondly as a strong-
hold for the finest parts of the skeleton during the whole process of manufacture,
preventing them from melting and also preventing the closure of the finest pores.
As soon as the thorium has served these purposes, it is removed, before the pill
is used. The dried skeleton therefore filled with salt of thorium, is then saturated
with a solution of platinum salt. After these pills are slowly dried, the platinum
salts inside are reduced to platinum mohr.
'
It is absolutely necessary, that no high temperature shall be used during the
act of reducing, so as to ensure that the thorium nitrate shall remain in a soluble
state, and it will remain in such a state by means of the generating vapours of
chlorine, escaping from the platinum chloride during the act of reduction, pro-
vided the temperature is not a high one. As soon as the reduction of the platinum
salts is finished, the soluble parts of thorium are lixiviated by water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare, that what
I claim is:-
1. The process of manufacturing gas ignition pills by the aid of meerschaum,
salts of the platinum class of metals and salts of the rare earths, the easy soluble
parts of meerschaum being removed and the remaining skeleton impregnated in
a wet state with a solution of salts of the rare earths, these latter being reduced
into the oxide and the skeleton thoroughly lixiviated and impregnated with a
solution of platinum salts, which are then reduced to platinum mohr, this re-
duction being followed sometimes by the final treatment with steam, water and
ether, substantially as set forth and described.
2. In a modification of the process of manufacturing gas-ignition pills as claimed
in the First Claim by aid of meerschaum, salts of the platinum class of metals
and salts of the rare earths, the easily soluble parts of meerschaum being removed
and the remaining skeleton which is to be kept in a wet state, impregnated with
a solution of salts of the rare earths, the pills after being dried being impregnated
with solution of platinum salts, which are then reduced to platinum mohr, with-
out however the use of high temperatures, this reduction being followed by a
washing out of the soluble parts of thorium by hot water or steam and sometimes
being followed by a final treatment with ether, substantially as set forth and
described.
1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester,
Agents.