A NEW OR AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS FOR DISOXYGENISING ATMOSPHERIC AIR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "A NEW OR AN IMPROVED
METHOD OR PROCESS FOR DISOXYGENISING ATMOSPHERIC AIR." A communi-
cation from abroad by Dr. Gustav Adolph Treutler, of Blasewitz, near Dresden,
Saxony.
Sealed the 14th May 1878, and dated the 21st November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November 1877.
"
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex.
A NEW OR AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS FOR DISOXYGENISING ATMOSPHERIC
AIR." (A communication from abroad by Dr. Gustav Adolph Treutler, of Blasewitz,
near Dresden, Saxony.)
Since Priestley's discovery of oxygen and its oxidizing life preserving and
destroying qualities chemists have endeavoured to separate it from the nitrogen
with which it is mechanically mixed in atmospheric air, in order to produce and
exhibit by itself in a simple manner, and according to the object in view either
the oxygen or the nitrogen. They have succeeded in attaining this end in different
ways by associating the oxygen with oxidable bodies in the laboratory; id est, upon
a small scale, but never so far as I know on a large scale, and in such manner as to
make it worth while to disoxygenise atmospheric air for practical purposes. Not-
withstanding this the want of air free of oxygen has been much felt especially
for medicinal purposes.
Not only the importance attached in modern times to the treatment of deseases
of the lungs pneumatically and by inhalation, but even the various experiments of
older date (those of Beddoës, Hufeland, and others), have shewn the desirability of
preparing nitrogen for purposes of inhalation. The results of these experiments,
highly worthy of notice, seem however to have been forgotton or overlooked
because the production of nitrogen on a large scale prooved unsuccessful or too

page_text: expensive. To remedy this evil is the object of my foreign correspondent, whose
Invention has reference to a process which causes a continuous, gradual, and lengthy
absorption of oxygen from atmospheric air.
This Invention is based on experience and is as follows:-It is well known that
sulphate of iron (Fė S + 7 H) (Fe S O 47 H₂ O) attracts oxygen from atmospheric
air and partly oxydises. There is however a limit to this, and this process is of
slight efficacy and comparatively minor importance.
In order to render a continuous absorption of oxygen possible in this way, a
regeneration of the sulphate of iron must be effected. The experience of 20 years
back that the attempt to conserve wooden sleepers for railways by impregnating
them with sulphate of iron did not answer, in consequence of the nails employed
being rapidly oxidized, made my foreign correspondent think that this oxidizing or
rusting, based upon the very chemical process which he was in quest of, id est, that
metallic iron probably serves as a regenerator to oxydizing sulphate of iron,
“perusing” (assimulating) the oxygen which had approached it for its own
oxidation, again reducing the former to Fe S continuously, indeed until its (the
metallic iron's) complete oxidation shall have taken place. Later experiments on a
small as well as on a large scale confirmed this supposition in the most striking
manner. On filling one or more vessels connected together and hermetically closed
with fine iron filings or borings, and keeping them moistened with a solution of
sulphate of iron (which is best attained by mixing with a hygroscopic material, such
as wood chips, tow, seaweed, &c., as well as by frequently upsetting and rolling
the vessels for moistening the mixture through which the air passes), the atmospheric
air will continuously impart oxygen to the sulphate of iron, and the latter in the
same way to the metallic iron, so that this iron will finally oxydize and the sulphate
of iron remain unchanged. As a matter of course the degree of disoxygenisation
will depend upon the area of the surfaces of contact which the iron filings offer to
the passing current of air, and upon the rapidity with which the latter is forced
through or exhausted.
In the annexed Sheet of Drawing I have by way of example illustrated an
apparatus which may be employed for disoxygenising the air, and collecting for the
purposes of inhalation the nitrogen obtained. I however remark expressly that I
do not confine myself to this mode of carrying out the Invention, as 1 may of
course complete the absorption of oxygen by simply increasing the elements (vessels),
but this absorption may take place in three vessels of the size of ordinary
petroleum casks, which will in every way suffice for my object, that is, to disoxy-
genise the entire air for incessant inhalation down to 21 per cent. oxygen, so that
I am still compelled to mix with atmospheric air if the gas gained is to be employed
for inhaling. The atmospheric air will enter the first cask through an opening in
the centre of its end, the air being forced in by any of the well-known mechanical
means, or it will by suction enter the first cask by the piston-like up-and-down
motion of the gasometer-like gas-collecting vessels in connection with the casks.
This cask is like the following one, entirely filled with a mixture of iron filings or
iron borings, and the hygroscopic materials as wood chips, tow, seaweed, etc. At
the same time the casks up to a certain height contain a solution of sulphate of
iron, but not extending above half the height, so that the fluid will not close the
openings for the entrance and exit of the air. The casks rest on supports placed
rectangularly to the axes of the casks, so that I may easily tumble them in order to
occasionally (as may be needful) moisten the mixture contained in their upper
parts.
The
Between the first and second casks, as well as between all the additional casks
employed for disoxygenising the air, I establish a communication by means of
caoutchouc hose, which I connect to the ends of the casks by suitable means.
first cask is shewn on the annexed Drawing in section. With the last cask I
connect a two branch hose, the one branch of which joins to the cock on one of
the collecting vessels, and the other branch to the cock on the other collecting
vessel.

page_text: The collecting vessels consist of receivers or bells a, a¹, closed above and open at
bottom, which move in vessels b, b', open above and closed at bottom after the
manner of gasometers. The receivers are connected to chains or to cords passing over
pulleys, so that if one of the receivers is rising the other will fall. The vessels b, b¹,
are filled with water, so that in every position of the receivers a, a', in their vessels
the rims of the receivers will at all times be under water, thus isolating the contents
of the bells from the outer air. The cock on the upper end of each receiver is bored
in such manner that it will in one position establish communication between the
casks and the receiver, and in another position will shut off this communication and
open one between the receiver and the exhaust pipe (C or C¹).
The sinking of a receiver is effected by means of weights; it follows from the
construction described above that when by means of the hose C¹ I draw the air
from the elevated receiver a' or cause it to flow out (having of course to that end
turned the cock, so as to place the interior of the receiver a¹ in communication with
the hose C¹, and to close communication with the casks), the receiver a¹ will sink
and receiver a will rise. As the cock on this receiver a will be in the position
opening the receiver to the cask hose and the communication with the atmospheric
air will be shut off, the rising receiver will exhaust the air passing through the
casks, which air will enter the receiver in a state of disoxygenisation.
After the receiver a' has completed its descent I turn both cocks, so that the
receiver a' shall communicate with the casks, and the receiver a with the exhaust
hose C, thus I obtain a certain quantity of deoxidised air continuously alternately
in the receivers α, a¹
As is obvious the contents of the receivers a, a, may be conveyed through the
hose pipes C, C¹, wherever nitrogen may be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
May 1878.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex.
"A NEW OR AN IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS FOR DISOXYGENISING ATMOSPHERIC
AIR." (A communication from abroad by Dr. Gustav Adolph Treutler, of Blasewitz,
near Dresden, Saxony.)
Since Priestley's discovery of oxygen and its oxidizing life preserving and
destroying qualities chemists have endeavoured to separate it from the nitrogen
with which it is mechanically mixed in atmospheric air, in order to produce and
exhibit by itself in a simple manner, and according to the object in view either the
oxygen or the nitrogen. They have succeeded in attaining this end in different
ways by associating the oxygen with oxidable bodies in the laboratory, id est, upon
a small scale, but never so far as I know on a large scale, and in such manner
as to make it worth while to disoxygenise atmospheric air for practical purposes.
Notwithstanding this, the want of air free of oxygen has been much felt especially
for medicinal purposes.
Not only the importance attached in modern times to the treatment of diseases of
the lungs pneumatically and by inhalation, but even the various experiments of
older date (those of Beddoe's, Hufeland, and others), have shewn the desirability of
preparing nitrogen for the purposes of inhalation. The results of these experiments,
highly worthy of notice, seem however to have been forgotten or overlooked because
the production of nitrogen on a large scale proved unsuccessful or too expensive.
To remedy this evil is the object of my foreign correspondent, whose Invention has
reference to a process which causes a continuous, gradual, and lengthy absorption of
oxygen from atmospheric air.
This Invention is based on experience and is as follows:-It is well known that
sulphate of iron (Fe S + 7 H) (Fe S O 47 H, O) attracts oxygen from atmospheric
air and partly oxydises. There is however a limit to this, and this process is of
slight efficacy and comparatively minor importance.
In order to render a continuous absorption of oxygen possible in this way, a
regeneration of the sulphate of iron must be effected. The experience of 20 years
back that the attempt to conserve wooden sleepers for railways by impregnating
them with sulphate of iron did not answer, in consequence of the nails employed
being rapidly oxidized, made my foreign correspondent think that this oxydizing or
rusting, based upon the very chemical process which he was in quest of; id est, that
metallic iron probably serves as a regenerator to oxidizing sulphate of iron,
"perusing" the oxygen which had approached it for its own oxydation, again
reducing the former to Fe S (Fe S O') continuously, indeed until its (the metallic
iron's) complete oxidation shall have taken place. Later experiments on a small as
well as on a large scale confirmed this supposition in the most striking manner.
On filling one or more vessels connected together and hermetically closed with fine
iron filings or borings, and keeping them moistened with a solution of sulphate of
iron (which is best attained by mixing with a hygroscopic material, such as wood
chips, tow, seaweed, &c., as well as by frequently upsetting and rolling the vessels for
moistening the mixture through which the air passes), the atmospheric air will
continuously impart oxygen to the sulphate of iron, and the latter in the same way
to the metallic iron, so that this iron will finally oxidize and the sulphate of iron
remain unchanged. As a matter of course the degree of disoxygenisation will
depend upon the area of the surfaces of contact which the iron filings offer to the
passing current of air, and upon the rapidity with which the latter is forced through
or exhausted.
In the annexed Sheet of Drawings I have by way of example illustrated an
apparatus which may be employed for disoxygenizing the air, and collecting for
the purposes of inhalation the nitrogen obtained. I however remark expressly

page_text: that I do not confine myself to this mode of carrying out the Invention, as I may
of course complete the absorption of oxygen by simply increasing the elements
(vessels), but this absorption may take place in three vessels of the size of ordinary
petroleum casks, which will in every way suffice for my object, that is, to disoxy-
genise the entire air for incessant inhalation down to 21 per cent. oxygen, so that
I am still compelled to mix with atmospheric air if the gas gained is to be employed
for inhaling. The atmospheric air will enter the first cask through an opening in
the centre of its end, the air being forced in by any of the well-known mechanical
means, or it will by suction enter the first cask by the piston-like up-and-down
motion of the gasometer-like gas-collecting vessels in connection with the casks.
This cask is like the following ones, entirely filled with a mixture of iron filings or
iron borings, and the hygroscopic materials as wood chips, tow, seaweed, &c. At
the same time the casks up to a certain height contain a solution of sulphate of iron,
but not extending above half the height, so that the fluid will not close the openings
for the entrance and exit of the air. The casks rest on supports placed rectangularly
to the axes of the casks, so that I may easily tumble them in order to occasionally
(as may be needful) moisten the mixture contained in their upper parts.
Between the first and second casks as well as between all the additional casks
employed for disoxygenizing the air, I establish a communication by means of
caoutchouc hose, which I connect to the ends of the casks by suitable means. The
first cask is shewn on the annexed Drawing in section. With the last cask I
connect a two-branch pipe hose, the one branch of which joins to the cock on one of
the collecting vessels, and the other branch to the cock on the other collecting
vessels.
The collecting vessels consist of receivers or bells a, a¹, closed above and open at
bottom, which move in vessels b, 61, open above and closed at bottom, after the
manner of gasometers. The receivers are connected to chains or to cords passing
over pulleys, so that if one of the receivers is rising the other will fall. The
vessels b, b', are filled with water so that in every position of the receivers a, a¹, in
their vessels the rims of the receivers will at all times be under water, thus isolating
the contents of the bells from the outer air. The cock on the upper end of each
receiver is bored in such manner that it will in one position establish communication
between the casks and the receiver, and in another position will shut off this com-
munication and open one between the receiver and the exhaust pipe (C or C³).
The sinking of a receiver is effected by means of weights; it follows from the
construction described above that when by means of the hose C¹ I draw the air
from the elevated receiver a¹ or cause it to flow out (having of course to that end
turned the cock so as to place the interior of the receiver a¹ in communication with
the hose C¹, and to close communication with the casks), the receiver a' will sink
and receiver a will rise. As the cock on this receiver a will be in the position,
opening the receiver to the cask hose, and the communication with the atmospheric
air will be shut off, the rising receiver will exhaust the air passing through the
casks, which air will enter the receiver in a state of disoxygenization.
After the receiver a' has completed its descent I turn both cocks so that the
receiver a¹ shall communicate with the casks, and the receiver a with the exhaust
hose C; thus I obtain a certain quantity of disoxidised air continuously, alternately
in the receivers a, a¹.
As is obvious the contents of the receivers a, a¹, may be conveyed through the
hose pipes c, c', wherever nitrogen may be required.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode of carrying it
into practical effect, as communicated to me as aforesaid, I desire it to be understood
that I do not claim the arrangement of the receivers a, a, in the vessels b, b', nor
do I claim the cocks on the receivers, but what I do claim as the Invention secured
to me under the Letters Patent herein-before in part recited is,-
1. Disoxygenizing air on a large scale by the continuous cold process, wherein
metallic iron is employed to act as a regenerator, substantially as herein-before
described.

page_text: 2. The combination of parts constituting the apparatus described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing for effecting the continuous disoxygenization of
atinospheric air for the production of nitrogen, to be employed for inhalation and
other purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lloyd Wise, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W. LLOYD WISE. (L.S.)