AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DEPOSITION OF METALS. AND M
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Pershouse,, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Timothy Morris, of Bir-
mingham aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DEPOSITION OF METALS. AND
M
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Pershouse
and Timothy Morris at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents; with their Petition, on the 7th November 1853
We, HENRY PERSHOUSE, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick,, Manufacturer, and TIMOTHY MORRIS; of Birmingham aforesaid,
Manufacturer, do, hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DEPOSITION: OF METALS AND
METALLIC ALLOYS " to be as follows:-
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i
.. Instead of placing the surface on which the deposition is, to be
effected, as well as the metal or alloy to be dissolved, in the same

page_text: trough or vessel, and separated from one another only by the metallic
solution, replace in the said solution a cell or vessel of porous earthen-
ware or other porous vessel, and place therein the metal or alloy to be
dissolved, or zinc or other metal, and in the said porous vessel con-
taining the metal or alloy, &c. to be dissolved we put dilute sulphuric
acid or other liquid capable of dissolving the said metal or alloy under
the influence of an electrical current. In that portion of the solution
which is external to the said porous vessel, and from which deposition
is taking place, we put excess of the cyanide, carbonate, or other com-
pound of the metal or metals being deposited, the said excess keeping the
said solution constantly saturated with the metals being deposited, which
would not be the case but for the excess of the said metallic compound or
compounds placed in the solution, as the metal or metals dissolved from
the electrode in the porous cell is separated from the solution from which
reduction is taking place, and cannot keep the said solution in a constant
state of saturation as in the ordinary method of working. The object of
our Invention is economy in the deposition of metals and alloys, as by the
arrangement described an electric current of less intensity is required
than in the ordinary method of working. We do not confine ourselves
to the precise arrangement described, the essence of our Invention con-
sisting in the separation of the electrode on which deposition is being
effected from that being dissolved, as described, and saturating the
solution from which reduction is taking place, by placing therein
metallic salts or compounds.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Pershouse and Timothy Morris in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
HENRY PERSHOUSE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and TIMOTHY MORRIS, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters. Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto us, the said Henry Pershouse and Timothy
Morris, Her special licence that we, the said Henry Pershouse and
Timothy Morris, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Henry Pershouse and Timothy Morris, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DEPOSITION OF METALS AND
METALLIC ALLOYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Henry Pershouse and Timothy Morris, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters, Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Henry Pershouse and Timothy.
Morris, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in.
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described.
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to
say:
Our Invention relates to the deposition of metals and metallic alloys
by electricity, whatever be the source from whence the said electricity
is derived.
In order that our Invention may be the better understood, we remark
that in the ordinary method of depositing metals and metallic alloys by
electricity, the surface on which the metal or alloy is to be deposited
is connected with the zinc end of a voltaic battery, or with the corre-
sponding end of any other electrical arrangement, and the said surface
immersed in a solution of the metal or alloy to be deposited, and a plate
or surface of metal or alloy similar to that to be deposited is placed
in the said solution and connected with the copper end of the voltaic

page_text: battery or the corresponding end of any other electrical arrangement,
the two metallic surfaces being separated from one another by
the solution in which-they-are both immersed; and that during the
passage of the electricity from the battery or other electrical arrange-
ment through the said solution, metal or alloy is deposited on that
surface connected with the zinc end of the battery, and the same or
nearly the same amount of metal or alloy is dissolved from the surface
connected with the copper end of the battery.
In depositing metals or metallic alloys according to our Invention
we proceed as follows:-Instead of placing the surface on which
the deposition of metal or alloy is to take place, as well as the surface
from which metal or alloy is to be dissolved in the same trough or
vessel coritaining a solution of the metal or alloy to be deposited
and separated from each, other by the said sölution, we place in the
said solution a cell of porous earthenware or other porous vessel; and
we put into the said porous vessel a plate of the metal or alloy to
be deposited, or a plate of zinc or other metal, and a solution or liquid
capable of dissolving the said-metal or-álloy under the influence of an
electrical current. In practice we find that zinc and dilute sulphuric
acid placed in the said porous vessel answer well. The dilute
sulphuric acid may consist of one part by weight of oil of vitriol,
or sulphuric acid of commerce, and ten parts by weight of water.
We place the said porous vessel and its contents in another larger
vessel containing a solution of the metal or alloy to be deposited, and
in that portion of the last-named vessel which is external to the porous
vessel we place the surface on which the metal or alloy is to be de
posited, the said surface on which the metal or alloy is to be deposited
being immersed in the metallic solution contained in the larger vessel.
We connect the metal in the porous cell with the copper end of a voltaic
battery, or the corresponding end of any other electrical arrangement,"
and connect the surface on which metal or alloy is to be deposited
with the zine end of the battery, or with the corresponding end of any
other electrical arrangement. "The arrangeinent of the several parts
will then be as follows: The surface on which metal or alloy 'is' to be
deposited will be immersed in a solution of the metal or alloy to be

page_text: déposited and connected with the zinc end of the battery or correspond-
ing end of any other suitable electrical arrangement, while the zinc or
other metals or alloy to be dissolved will be immersed in dilute sulphuric
acid or other suitable solvent, and connected with the copper end
of the battery for: corresponding end of any other suitable electrical
arrangement, the two solutions being separated from one another by a
porous: partition, which will permit the passage of an electrical current.
By this arrangement the deposition of the metal or alloy will be
effected by an electrical current of less intensity than is required by the
ordinary arrangement. In the solution from which deposition is taking
place we put excess of the oxide, cyanide, carbonate, or other compound
of the metal or metals being deposited, so as to keep the said solution
saturated with the said metal or metals. Or the arrangement described
may be reversed; that is to say, instead of the metal or-alloy to be dis-
solved being placed, together with the solvent, in the porous vessel, the
solution to be deposited from, together with the surface to be deposited
upon, may be placed in the said porous vessel, and the zinc or other
metal or alloy to be dissolved, together with its solvent, may be placed
in the outer vessel.
Instead of placing one liquid or solution in a porous vessel, and
putting the said porous vessel in another vessel containing the other
solution, one vessel only may be employed, in which case a porous
diaphragm or partition must be made to divide the vessel into two
compartments, the solution or liquid herein-before described as con-
tained in the porous vessel being put in one compartment, and the
solution herein-before described as contained in the outer or larger
vessel being put in the other compartment.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be under-
stood that we claim as our Invention the method herein described of
depositing metals and metallic alloys by electricity, that is to say
separating the solution which contains the surface on which metal or
alloy to be deposited from the solution which contains the metal or
alloy to be dissolved, by a porous partition or diaphragm, which permits
the passage of electricity, and keeping the solution saturated from

page_text: which metal or alloy is being deposited, by placing therein excess of
suitable salt or compound of the metal or alloy being deposited.
any
In witness whereof, we, the said Henry Pershouse and Timothy
Morris, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW,
.
HENRY PERSHOUSE. (L.S.)
TIMOTHY MORRIS.
(L.S.).