Improvements in the Treatment of Ores Containing Sulphide of Antimony for the Purpose of Obtaining the said Sulphide in a Concentrated Form with any Gold or Silver that may be Present.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1885.
Complete Left, 22nd Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 24th May, 1887.
Improvements in the Treatment of Ores Containing Sulphide of
Antimony for the Purpose of Obtaining the said Sulphide in a
Concentrated Form with any Gold or Silver that may be
Present.
We EDWARD WILLIAM PARNELL of Queens Park Chester in the county of Chester
Chemist and JAMES SIMPSON of 8 Rumford Place Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Alkali Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In the preparation or manufacture of metallic antimony from the natural sulphide
or stibnite there is always a loss and inconvenience in working the ores containing a
small porcentage of antimony.
This arises partly from the greater bulk which has to be dealt with, and partly from
the extra cost of flux and other materials necessary for bringing the particles of metal
together in the molten condition.
The object of our Invention is to treat ores containing a low percentage of sulphide
of antimony in a cheap and efficient manner so as to separate the gangue or other
impurity from the said sulphide of antimony and obtain the latter in a more
concentrated form while the gangue is rendered available for convenient treatment for
the extraction of any Gold & Silver it may contain. If ore or other substance
containing sulphide of antimony is reduced to fine state of division and is agitated
with a solution of monosulphide of ammonium with or without heat the sulphide of
antimony undergoes a change and becomes converted into a light red hydrated
sulphide held in suspension in the liquid which can be easily separated by washing
The monosulphide
from the gangue and other denser impurities contained in the ore.
of ammonium undergoes little or no change and takes up only a very small quantity
of the sulphide of antimony in solution.
Our invention consists in applying the above action to the concentration of weak
ores substantially as follows.
First (a) We reduce the ore to a fine state of division and agitate it with a solution
of monosulphide of ammonium until all or the greater part of the mineral sulphide

page_text: is converted into the lighter red sulphide. (b) We leave the mixture to settle for
sufficient time to allow the gangue and any ore unacted on to fall to the bottom of the
vessel. (c) We decant or draw off the supernatant liquor with as much as possible of
the light red sulphide in suspension. (d) This latter mixture we allow to settle
thoroughly or wo filter it so as to separate the clear monosulphide of ammonium for
the treatment of fresh quantities of ore and (e) We either wash the red sulphide to
free it from sulphide of ammonium or else we heat it in a closed vessel by steam or
other convenient means and condense and collect the monosulphide of ammonium
driven off.
Second. The gangue and denser impurities in the ore with some red sulphide of
antimony adhering we wash with water so as to remove a further quantity of the red
sulphide in a similar manner to the first removal, or we heat it with polysulphide of
ammonium substantially as set forth in the specification to British Letters Patent
No. 11828 of the year 1884 granted to us.
If the gangue should contain any Gold or Silver it can be treated after, the removal
of the antimony as above set forth, in the manner described in the specification to
British Letters Patent No. 13074 granted to us.
Datad this 21st day of Tul.. 100R
J. T. KING,
Agent for the Applicants.
2

page_text: CUMI LUID DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Ores Containing Sulphide of
Antimony for the Purpose of Obtaining the said Sulphide in a
Concentrated Form with any Gold or Silver that may be
Present.
We EDWARD WILLIAM PARNELL of Queens Park, Chester, in the County of
Chester, Chemist, and JAMES SIMPSON of No. 8 Rumford Place, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster Alkali Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
In the preparation or manufacture of Metallic Antimony from the natural Sulphide
or stibnite there is always a loss and inconvenience in working the ores containing a
small per centage of Antimony. This arises partly from the greater bulk which has
to be dealt with and partly from the extra cost of flux and other materials necessary
for bringing the particles of metal together in the molten condition.
The object of our invention is to treat ores containing a low per centage of Sulphide
of Antimony in a cheap and efficient manner so as to separate the gangue or other
impurity from the said Sulphide of Antimony and obtain the latter in a more
concentrated form, while the gangue is rendered available for convenient treatment
for the extraction of any Gold and Silver it may contain. If ore or other substance
containing Sulphide of Antimony is reduced to fine state of division and is agitated
with a solution of monosulphide of ammonium with or without heat the Sulphide
of Antimony undergoes a change and becomes converted into a light red hydrated
sulphide held in suspension in the liquid which sulphide can bo easily separated by
washing from the gangue and other denser impurities contained in the ore.
monosulphide of Ammonium undergoes little or no change and takes up only a very
small quantity of the sulphide of Antimony in solution.
The
Our invention consists in applying the above action to the concentration of weak
ores substantially as follows:-
First (a.) We reduce the ore to a fine state of division and agitate it with a
solution of Monosulphide of Ammonium until all or the greater part of the mineral
sulphide is converted into the light red sulphide. (b.) We leave the mixture to settle
for sufficient time to allow the gangue and any ore unacted on to fall to the bottom of
the vessel. (c.) We decant or draw off the supernatant liquor with as much as
possible of the light red sulphide in suspension. (d) This latter mixture we allow to
settle thoroughly, or we filter it so as to separate the clear monosulphide of Ammonium
for the treatment of fresh quantities of ore, and (e) We either wash the red sulphide
to free it from sulphide of Ammonium or else we heat it in a closed vessel by steam,
or other convenient means and condense and collect the monosulphide of Ammonium
driven off.

page_text: Second-The gangue and denser impurities in the ore with some red sulphide of
Antimony adhering we wash with water so as to remove a further quantity of the red
sulphide in a similar manner, to the first removal, or we heat it with polysulphide of
Ammonium substantially as set forth in the specification to British Letters Patent
No. 11828 of the year 1884, granted to us.
If the gangue should contain any Gold or Silver it can be treated after the removal
of the Antimony as above set forth in the manner described in the Specification to
British Letters Patent No. 130744 granted to us.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
The method herein described of treating Antimony Ores consisting in (1.) agitating
the ores in a finely pulverised condition in a solution of monosulphide of Ammonium
(2) decanting or drawing off the monosulphide of Ammonium solution with red
sulphide of Antimony in suspension and (3.) separating the red sulphide of Antimony
from the monosulphide of Ammonium solution, by subsidence, filtration, or distillation,
leaving the latter available for repeated use in treating further quantities of ore.
Dated this 01at day of A: 1007