Improvements in Treating and Rectifying or Ageing Alcohol or Alcoholic Liquors or the like by Electricity.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application. 26th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Treating and Rectifying or Ageing Alcohol or
Alcoholic Liquors or the like by Electricity.
I AUGUSTE DE MERITENS of 44 Rue Boursault Paris in the Republic of France
Civil Engineer 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 present Invention has reference to an invention for which I obtainod Letters
Patent dated 14th September 1888 No. 13293 according to which an alternating
current of electricity is employed in treating and rectifying or ageing alcohols and
the like.
An alternating current is essentially a current causing combinations or a com-
bining current whilst a continuous current is a current causing dissociations or a
decomposing current. For example a continuous current decomposes water into
its two constituent elements viz. oxygen and hydrogen, but an alternating current
which is in fact only a succession of sparks at a low tension reconstitutes water
by combining together its elements viz. oxygen and hydrogen. In fact this current
assists in all combinations of elements that may be in a condition to combine.
Now the object of the present invention is to provide substances capable of combining
immediately with the aldehydes under the action of an alternating electric current
(employed as described in the Specification of my said former invention) and of
forming therewith stable combinations indestructible by heat even at temperatures
as high as 10° Centigrade.
The substances which I have discovered and which I have found to give the
best results are the following namely, Ammonia Aniline, the phenylone diamines
such as meta phenylene diamine and their salts. These substances are capable of
combining directly with the aldehydes when brought in contact therewith at tempe-
ratures from about 80 to 100 degrees Centigrade. Under the action of an
alternating current the combination takes place without any perceptible riso in the
temperature and as this combination cannot be destroyed by heating even to about
100 degrees Centigrade the employment of the above mentioned substances enables
the process to be conducted under most favourable conditions.
To the phlegms or impure alcohol to be treated with an alternate current I add
two equivalents for example of ammonia or aniline, or of a salt of meta phenyline
diamine for example, to one equivalent of aldehyde or of the higher homologues to
be combined. Hence results a neutralisation of these bodies by the instantaneous
combination brought about by the action of the current.
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 :-
In the treatment or rectification or ageing of alcohol or alcoholic liquors and the
like by electrical action the employment of substances such as ammonia or aniline or
phenylene diamines or their salts as and for the purpose herein before decribed.
Cata^- 1980
J. H. JOHNSON & CO.,
Agents.