Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1886
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1886-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1887
I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the production of ozone and of hydrogen by means of a
process and apparatus enabling these agents to be utilised directly for bleaching or
other purposes as hereinafter described. It has been ascertained that when sulphate
of soda, sulphate of potash caustic soda or potash or baryta either pure or in a state
of mixture are subjected to electrolysis effected by using an inattackable or incorrodible
positive electrode such as platinum or carbon with a negative electrode of mercury or
an amalgamated metal such as copper tin zinc or iron an amalgam of the metal set
free is obtained at the negative pole and ozone or ozonised oxygen is obtained at the
positive pole. It has also been discovered that if the passage of the current is inter-
rupted or the apparatus short circuited the water is decomposed by the amalgam with
abundant evolution of hydrogen in the nascent state.
According to this invention these reactions are applied to bleaching purposes by
utilising this ozone and nascent hydrogen as hereinafter explained. The invention
may be carried out in practice in any suitable apparatus for effecting electrolysis good
results have been obtained with apparatus constructed and arranged as hereinafter
described. This apparatus is constructed with a tank or cistern containing a layer of
mercury at the bottom connected with the negative pole of an electric generator by
any suitable means such as an iron plate immersed in the mercury and connected with
the negative pole of the generator. At a short distance from the layer of mercury is
situated the positive electrode constituted by one or more plates of platinum or carbon
Price |

page_text: for example. These plates may be perforated with holes to facilitate the escape of the
gases. The trough is afterwards filled up with a solution of any of the substances
hereinbefore referred to.
The materials to be bleached are immersed in this solution where they are acted on
by the ozone, the ozonised oxygen or the nascent hydrogen produced as herein before
described the alkaline or earthy alkaline metals produced being absorbed by the
mercury in the process of electrolysis.
According to another arrangement a series of positive electrodes of platinum or
carbon are arranged in the bottom of a deep trough with negative electrodes formed
by amalgamated plates of zinc, tin, copper or iron. The trough is filled with the
solution in which the materials to be bleached are immersed.
In place of immersing the materials in the solution they may be exposed to the
action of the gases either pure or mixed with atmospheric air in a suitable chamber
supplied with the said gases under pressure or otherwise.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Producing Ozone and Hydrogen Suitable for
Bleaching Purposes.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to me from Abroad by EUGENE HERMITE of Paris in the Republic of France
Chemist and Engineer and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention relates to the production of ozone or ozonised oxygen and of hydro-
gen by means of a process and apparatus enabling these agents to be utilized directly
for bleaching or other purposes as hereinafter described. When sulphate of soda
sulphate of Potash Caustic soda or Potash or baryta either pure or in a state of mixture
are subjected to electrolysis effected by using an inattackable or incorrodible positive
electrode such as platinum or Carbon with a negative electrode of mercury or an
amalgamated metal such as Copper, Tin Zinc or Iron an amalgam of the metal set free is
obtained at the negative pole and ozone or ozonised oxygen is obtained at the positive
pole. If the passage of the current be interrupted or the apparatus short circuited the
water is decomposed by the aforesaid amalgam with abundant evolution of hydrogen
in the nascent state.
According to this invention these products are obtained under conditions enabling
them to be employed with advantage for bleaching purposes as hereinafter described.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
The invention may be carried out in practice in any suitable apparatus for effecting
electrolysis. Good results have been obtained with apparatus constructed and arranged
as hereinafter described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a vertical section of an apparatus
which is used for the purposes of this invention. This apparatus is constructed with
a trough tank or cistern C containing a layer of mercury M at the bottom connected
with the negative pole of an electric Generator by any suitable means. In the
example illustrated in Figure 1. this communication is established by the intervention
of an iron plate F immersed in the mercury and resting on blocks T of wood being
connected by a suitable conductor with the negative pole of the generator. At a short
distance from the layer of mercury is situated the positive electrode constituted by one
or more plates of platinum or carbon for example suitably supported on ledges or
supports. This plate or plates P may be perforated with holes to facilitate the escape
of the gases. The trough is filled up with a solution S of any of the substances herein-
before referred to. It is preferable to employ sulphate of soda on account of its cheap-
ness. The apparatus may be made of any suitable size and the density of the solutions
is regulated so as to present a minimum of resistance to the passage of the current.
Several troughs may be coupled in tension.

page_text: The apparatus is connected with a suitable generator and the materials to be
bleached are immersed in the solution S where they are acted on by the ozone or
ozonized oxygen and if required also by the nascent hydrogen obtained as hereinbefore
described the alkaline or earthy alkaline metal produced being absorbed by the
mercury in the process of electrolysis.
According to another arrangement illustrated in vertical and horizontal section
respectively in figures 2 and 3 a series of positive and negative electrodes c = are
arranged in a vertical or inclined position in the bottom of a deep trough C. The
positive electrodes c are constituted by platinum or carbon plates and the negative
electrodes are formed by amalgamated plates of zinc, tin, copper or iron amal-
gamated either before immersion or by electric action. The trough is filled with the
solution S in which the materials to be bleached are immersed as in the preceding
arrangement.
In place of immersing the materials in the solution they may be exposed to the action
of the gases either pure or mixed with atmospheric air in a suitable separate chamber
supplied with the said Gases. In this case the apparatus is placed underneath or
otherwise connected with a closed chamber containing the articles or materials to be
bleached and into which the gases are conducted.
In this case the operation may be conducted either under pressure or otherwise.
It is thus rendered possible to bleach clothes or fabrics without exposure on a bleaching
ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :
The improved means for obtaining ozone and nascent hydrogen suitable for
bleaching purposes by subjecting sulphate of soda or of potash or caustic soda or
potash or baryta to an electrolytic process wherein a negative electrode consisting of
mercury or a metal amalgamated with mercury is employed in combination with a
positive electrode of carbon or other incorrodible material in such a manner as to
generate ozone or ozonised hydrogen and at the same time form an amalgam whereby
the water is decomposed and hydrogen in the nascent state is obtained substantially as
herein before described.
J. HENRY JOHNSON;
Agent.