IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF METALLIC ORES AND CERTAIN SALTS AND RESIDUARY MATTERS, AND IN OBTAINING PRODUCTS THERE- PROM
Year: 1852

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TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BOULTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two, and in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel Boulton, my exors, admňors, and assigns, Her
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Samuel Boulton, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Samuel Boulton, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and all the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and
Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF METALLIC ORES AND
CERTAIN SALTS AND RESIDUARY MATTERS, AND IN OBTAINING PRODUCTS THERE-
PROM;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the
Samuel Boulton, 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 seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within six calendar months next immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto
had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Boulton, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention consists as follows,-
My first improvement consists in a mode of producing chloride or muriate of
zinc from sulphate of zinc. This I effect by dissolving the sulphate of zinc in
water along with any salt containing chlorine or muriatic acid. The zinc com-
bines with the chlorine or muriatic acid, whilst the base of the salt made use of
combines with the sulphuric acid, forming a sulphate. This operation is
facilitated by applying heat to the solution, but this is not absolutely necessary.
If the salt used be muriate of lime or muriate of barytes (otherwise chloride of
calcium or chloride of barium), or any salt the base of which, when combined
with sulphuric acid, forms a salt which is only sparingly soluble in water, I
allow the sulphate salt which is formed to precipitate, and I then drain off
the muriate or chloride of zinc. If the salt used be common salt (chloride
of sodium), or muriate of potash (chloride of potassium), I evaporate the solu-
tion to a specific gravity sufficient to cause the sulphate of soda or sulphate
of potash (whichever may be present) to separate from the solution either by
crystalization or by precipitation, I then drain off the muriate of zinc. The
chloride or muriate of zinc thus obtained I deal with as such, or convert into
oxide of zinc or metallic zinc, by any of the ordinary known methods. The
sulphate of soda or sulphate of potash thus obtained I either deal with as such
or convert them into the products for which they are applicable, either by the
ordinary known methods or by a method herein-after to be described for the
treatment of these salts.
My second improvement relates to obtaining products from ores containing
zinc. This I effect by calcining the ore with any salt containing chlorine. I do
not confine myself to putting the whole of the salt into the furnace or calcining
chamber at one period. The ultimate weight of chloride salt is regulated in the
well-known atomic proportions by the richness in zinc of the ore under treat-
ment, such a weight of chloride salt being used that the chlorine contained therein
shall be sufficient to combine with the whole of the zinc contained in the ore.
From the ores thus prepared and calcined I obtain chloride of zinc, which
sublimes from the heated mass. I sometimes vary this process by applying a
steam or blast of atmospheric air (heated or otherwise) to the heated mass,

page_text: either whilst the said process of calcination is going forward, or afterwards, as
may be most convenient. In this latter case I find it most desirable to remove
the material under treatment into another chamber constructed for the purpose
of sublimation, applying or not the stream or blast of atmosperic air as above
described. The chloride of zinc evolved during the process is confined and
caught in an ordinary flue or condensing chamber. The chloride of zinc
obtained in the above methods is dealt with either as a muriate or chloride, or
converted into oxide of zinc or metallic zinc in the common way. In case the
ore contains carbonate of zinc, I pursue the method as above described, and
in addition to the products above named I obtain soda, or its carbonate where
common salt (chloride of sodium) has been used, or potash or its carbonate
where muriate of potash (chloride of potassium) has been used.
My third improvement relates to the treatment of certain salts and resi-
duary matters, and in obtaining products therefrom. In operating on
salts or residuary matters containing sulphuric acid, firstly, I reduce the
sulphate into a sulphide by the addition of carbonaceous matter alone or
mixed with lime or limestone, and exposing the mass to heat; or, secondly,
I reduce the sulphate to a sulphide by applying to the sulphate, heated
alone (or along with carbonaceous matter, or lime, or limestone, either
together or separately), hydrogen gas, or any gas containing hydrogen.
When the object is to expel the sulphur from these sulphides, I effect this
by heating the mass and applying to it steam (or vapour of water), or by
applying to the heated mass hydrogen gas, or any gas containing hydrogen.
When the residuary matters contain sulphur or sulphides, I pursue the same
method as above described for the purpose of expelling the sulphur. When
steam (vapour of water), or hydrogen gas, or any gas containing hydrogen, is
used, as herein-before stated, the operation is carried on in a close furnace,
retort, or chamber, having a perforated pipe or pipes laid on the bed of the
said furnace, retort, or chamber, for the admission of the steam or gas as
above named, and also an opening for the egress of the gasses which are
evolved. The gasses evolved in the above operations I apply to the manu-
facture of sulphur or sulphuric acid in any of the known methods. After the
sulphur has been expelled, in case I have been operating on matter containing
sulphate of soda or sulphate of potash, I either deal with the materials in the
state they remain in the desulphurising chamber, or proceed to manufature
soda or potash, or their carbonates, in the well-known common methods.
What I claim as my Invention is as follows:-
First, the manufacture of zinc and its oxide, and also chloride of zinc, from
sulphate of zinc, in the method above described.

page_text: Second, the manufacture of zinc and its oxide from chloride of zinc obtained
by sublimation, as herein-before described.
Third the manufacture of potash or soda, or their carbonates, when carbonate
of zinc is used, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the decomposition of sulphate of soda and sulphate of potash by the
application of hydrogen gas alone, or by the application of any gas containing
bydrogen.
Fifth, the manufacture of sulphur or sulphuric acid by operating on sul-
phates, or sulphides, or any residuary matter containing sulphur, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Boulton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two.
Enrolled the Twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.