CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF COPPER AND THE SEPARATION OF SOME OTHER METALS THEREFROM, AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF ALLOYS OF CERTAIN METALS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
PARKES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eleventh day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for IIerself, heir heirs and successors, give and grant unto me
the said Alexander Parkes, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I the said Alexander
Parkes, my exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Parkes, my exors, adiñors, 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, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey,
Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man; and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF COPPER AND THE SEPARATION OF SOME OTHER METALS THEREFROM,
AND IN THE PRODUCTION OF ALLOYS OF CERTAIN METALS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Alexander Parkes, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's Iligh 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
Alexander Parkes, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention an

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My improvements in the manufacture of copper are effected by using
metallic iron and zinc in certain stages of the processes of smelting, whereby
I am enabled to produce better copper from inferior ores than has usually
been done.
"
With respect to iron, I have found considerable advantage in adding it
to the metal when in the state known as "white metal," or in any of the more
advanced stages, provided sulphur be present, but the following is the plan I
prefer to adopt The ores are heated in the known manner practised by the
trade, until the product has reached the roaster furnace, and by being allowed
to cool therein has become "close regule," it is in this state that I prefer to
add the iron (either wrought or cast iron will serve) in the proportion of
1 cwt. or thereabouts to each charge of about 2 tons of the regule; I then
close the doors of the furnace and raise the heat and tap out the product as
'pimple copper," and in this state I remove it to the refining furnace where I
treat it as is usually practised by the trade, or in some cases with metallic zinc,
as hercin-after described; or sometimes after the introduction of the iron in the
roaster furnace, I run it out as "light regule," and strip the pigs in the
manner practised by the trade when making best selected copper, in which
case I again introduce the portion which has been stripped into the roaster
furnace, and to each charge of about 2½ tons I add cwt. of iron, and allow
the whole to remain in the furnace until it becomes "pimple copper," I then
tap out and remove to the refining furnace as before directed; this second
operation with the iron will, however, only be necessary when very pure
copper is required. Again, I sometimes use iron in the proportion of 1 cwt.
to each charge of from 4 to 5 tons of metal when in the refining furnace, in
which case I cause the metal to be well agitated to oxidize the iron, and when
it has arrived at "set pitch" I pole it in the usual manner and lade out, or I
add metallic zinc previous to poling, as herein-after described.
I do not use
iron in the refining furnace with copper that has been previously heated with
iron in the roaster furnace. With respect to zinc, my improvements consist in
the addition of metallic zinc to copper when in a fused state in the refining
furnace. To cach charge of about 5 tons of copper, and whether the same
has been treated with iron, as before explained, or smelted in the usual
manner, I add about 1 cwt. of metallic zinc, and I prefer to do this when
the copper is at "set pitch," and having allowed the whole to remain in a
melted state for about two hours, that the zinc may volatilize, I proceed to pole
and lade out in the usual manner. I wish it to be understood that I do not

page_text: confine myself in all cases to the exact proportion herein set forth, but in
treating the ores that are most generally operated upon I believe it to be the
best.
My improvements in the seperation of some other metals from copper
relate to the treatment of argentifirous compounds of that metal, and will be
understood by the three following processes, which are dependent upon the
discovery that silver is easily volatilized when in connection with zinc and
arsenic in a fused state, and are modifications of this discovery applied to the
co:npounds usually containing silver; and in such case I employ a reverbatory
furnace provided with a flue, and chambers in connection with it conveniently
arranged for collecting the products that pass from the furnace, and wheu
so collected may be cupelled or otherwise treated by any of the methods in
practice for the obtaining of silver.
1st. In case the argentiferous compound be in the metallic state, and
contains 10 oz. of silver in the ton, having melted it in the furnace
described, I add to each ton from 3 to 5 per cent. of metallic zinc, and from
to per cent. of white arsenic, and about cwt. of anthracite coal or other
carbonacious matter; I then close the doors and heat the whole together for
about six hours, when the silver will have passed over with the zinc and other
valatile metals, and become condensed in the flues and chambers connected
with the furnace.
2nd. In case the prevailing state of the compound be that of sulphuret,
having fused it, I add to each ton containing 10 oz. of silver from six to ten
per cent. of calamine, or other oxidized compound of zinc, together with lime
or other flux, if needed, and cwt. of anthracite coal, and if the compound be
free from arsenic I add from to per cent. of white arsenic; I then close
the doors and heat the whole for about six hours, when the silver will have
mostly passed over with the zinc and other volatile matters, and become
condensed, as before stated. I prefer to add the zinc and arsenic upon the
sulphuret compound in that state known by the trade as "pimple metal."
3rd. In case the argentiferous compound consists chiefly of oxide o car-
bonate of copper, having fused it, I add to each ton containing about 10 ounces
of silver from ten to fifteen per cent. of blende, or other sulphur compound
of zinc, and to per cent. of white arsenic, with about 1 cwt. of anthracite
coal, and flux, if needed, to render it fluid, and proceed as described when
treating the sulphuret compound. I prefer to add the sulphur compound
of zinc and arsenic after the compound has been fused and skimmed to remove
the earthy matters.
In each of the above cases I have given the proportions of zinc and arsenic

page_text: that I have found best for the proportion of silver therein set forth; but in case
the quantity of silver be larger, I increase the zinc and arsenic in the same
relative proportions; and when acting upon compounds which contain beyond
50 ounces of silver to the ton, I have found it advantageous to introduce them
by degrees, instead of doing so altogether, as directed for compounds con-
taining 10 ounces of silver only. I have also directed the use of white arsenic
only as being the most convenient compound of this metal with which I am
acquainted, but other compounds or metallic arsenic itself may be used, taking
care to employ an equivalent proportion of the metal to that set forth in the
compound mentioned.
My improvements in the production of alloys of certain metals consist in
combining nickel with chromium, and subsequently adding to such alloy other
metals, according to the purposes required. I prefer to take oxide of
chromium and oxide of nickel in equal proportions; or I take two parts
of oxide of chromium and one part of metallic nickel, and I fuse them together
in a closed crucible well covered with a carbonaceous flux. Having obtained
this alloy, I re-melt it and add thereto other metals in various proportions,
according to the nature of the alloy I desire to produce and the purposes for
which it is intended to be used.
The following proportions I have found to produce some of the best results
when white alloys are desired :-Alloy of nickel and chromium 10 parts, and
tin 90 parts; or alloy of nickel and chromium 20 parts, iron 80 parts; or
alloy of nickel and chromium 20 parts, copper 60 parts, zinc 20 parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Parkes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand night hundred and fifty-two