IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING VEGETABLE FIBRES, THREADS, AND FABRICS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ann Brooman,, of Camberwell; in the County of
Surrey, Widow and sole Administratrix of the late Clinton Edgcumibe
Brooman, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company,, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING VEGETABLE FIBRES, THREADS,
AND FABRICS."-A communication from abroad by Cyprien Marie
Tessié du Motay, of 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Clinton Edgcumbe
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 26th May 1869.
I, CLINTON EDGCUMBE BROOMAN, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman,
5 and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN BLEACHING VEGETABLE FIBRES, THREADS, AND FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention for improvements in bleaching vegetable fibres, threads,
and fabrics consists in the employment of sulphuret of barium or double
sulphurets of barium and calcium, of barium and sodium, or the oxides i
of these metals for the lixiviation and bleaching of fibres, threads, and
fabrics of a vegetable origin.
The sulphuret of barium after its lixiviation by hot water splits up, as,
is well known, into compounds of barium (barité) and sulpho-hydrate
of sulphuret of barium. In this state mixed or not with the oxides of
calcium or sodium, or even with the sulphurets of these two metals, it
has the propertyof acting upon the resinous and fatty portions of the fibres,
threads, and fabrics so as to dissolve the former without changing the
ligneous and gummy portions. This it does with a greater energy than
the oxides of sodium, potasium, or calcium hitherto employed for the
purpose. The sulphuret of barium forms in addition with the resinous
and fatty portion an insoluable soapy body which preserves, by the hydro-
sulphuretted combination it contains, the said fibres, threads, and fabrics
from the destructive action of the chlorine water or alkaline hypochlorites
when these are afterwards employed to bleach them. The chlorine
disolved in water which forms the chlorine water and the alkalino
hypochlorites splitting up during the bleaching into oxigen and hydro-
chloric acid meet in the soapy bodies combined with the fibres a base
which saturates them while setting free the sulphuretted hydrogen,
which itself acts as an autichlorine for those parts of the fibre or fabric
uncombined with the soapy body, whence it fullows that after the action
of the chlorine or chlorine water the fibres, threads, and fabrics can be.
again submitted to the action of the hot lyos of sulphuret of barium or
the double sulphurets above named, and so on for several times until
they are completely bleached. According to the more or less fatty or
resinous nature of the fibres, threads, and tissues to be treated I use
from 4 to 8 per cent, of the sulphuret of barium or of the solution of the
above named double sulphurets in proportion to the weight of the fibres,
threads, or fabrics submitted to the lixiviation or bleaching.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Ann
Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th December
1.869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANN
BROOMAN, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Widow and sole
Administratrix of the late Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, of the Firm of
Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters, Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Ann Brooman, Her special licence that
I, the said Ann Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Ann Brooman, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING VEGETABLE
FIBRES, THREADS, AND FABRICS," (communicated to the said Clinton
Edgcumbe Brooman from abroad by Cyprien Marie Tessié du Motay, of
23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Ann Brooman, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, 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 I, the said Ann Brooman, 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:-

page_text: This Invention consists in the employment of sulphuret of barium or
double sulphurets of barium and calcium of barium and sodium or the
oxides of these metals for the lixiviation and bleaching of fibres, threads,
and fabrics of a vegetable origin.
The sulphuret of larium after its lixiviation by hot water splits up, as
is well known, into compounds of barium (barité) and sulpho-hydrate
of sulphuret of barium. In this state mixed or not with the oxides of
calcium or sodium, or even with the sulphurets of these two metals, it
has the property of acting upon the resinous and fatty portions of the
fibres, threads, and fabrics so as to dissolve them without changing their
ligneous gummy portions; this it does with a greater energy than the
oxides of sodium, potassium, or calcium hitherto employed for the pur-
pose. The sulphuret of barium forms in addition with the resinous and
fatty portion an insoluble soapy body which preserves, by the hydro-
sulphuretted combination it contains, the said fibres, threads, and fabrics
from the destructive action of the chlorine water or alkaline hypochlorites
when these are afterwards employed to bleach them. The chlorine
dissolved in water which forms the chlorine water and the alkaline
hypochlorites splitting up during the bleaching into oxygen and hydro-
chloric acid meet in the soapy bodies combined with the fibres a base
which saturates them while setting free the sulphuretted hydrogen,
which itself acts as an antichlorine for those parts of the fibre or
fabric uncombined with the soapy body; whence it follows that after
the action of the chlorine or chlorine water the fibres, threads, and
fabrics can be again submitted to the action of the hot lycs of sul-
phuret of barium or the double sulphurets above named, and so on for
several times, until they are completely bleached. According to the
more or less fatty or resinous nature of the fibres, threads, and tissues
to be treated 1 use from four to eight per cent. of the sulphuret of
barium or of the solution of the above named double sulphurets in
proportion to the weight of the fibres, threads, or fabrics submitted to the
lixiviation or bleaching.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the
anulication or employment. substantially as heroin-before described of

page_text: calcium and sodium or the oxides of these metals to the treatment or
bleaching of fibres, threads, and fabrics of a vegetable origin.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ann Brooman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
II. 'GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street,
London.
ANN BROOMAN. (L.S.)