IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF MADDER AND OTHER PLANTS OF THE SAME SPECIES, AND OF THEIR PRODUCTS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ORTAINING DERING MATERIALS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Simon Pincoffs, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Manufacturing Chemist, and Henry Edward Schunck,
of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Doctor of Philosophy,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF MADDER
AND OTHER PLANTS OF THE SAME SPECIES, AND OF THEIR PRODUCTS, FOR
THE PURPOSE OF ORTAINING DERING MATERIALS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Simon Pincolis and
Henry Edward Schunck at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 15th October 1852.
We, SIMON PINCOFFS and HENRY EDWARD SCHUNCK, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
TREATMENT OF MADDER AND OTHER PLANTS OF THE SAME SPECIES, AND OP
THEIR PRODUCTS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING DYEING MATERIALS," to be
as follows:-
Our improvements consist, firstly, in subjecting madder, munject, or
other roots and plants of the same species, and also any produce from

page_text: such substances known in commerce as "garancine," ", garanceux,"
"flower of madder," "spent madder," or by other names, to certain
treatments by which we produce a dyeing material of greater purity
than that now obtained. The treatment will vary accordingly as the
material is in its raw state or manufactured, but in all cases we effect
our improvement through the agency of a high moist temperature; for
instance, we take madder in its raw state, or garancine, or other sub-
stances before mentioned, purified or concentrated according to any of
the known methods, and submit it to the action of water at or above
the boiling point, or of steam at similar temperatures, and we also use
an alkali, which, when steam is employed, may be added by previously
moistening the substance to be operated upon.
. Secondly, our improvements consist in manufacturing garancine and
spent madder garancine by-the agency of high pressure steam. The
material is placed in a suitable vessel, and moistened with water and
sulphuric or muriatic. acid, and the steam is then admitted through a
perforated bottom or by other means. If desired, the process may be
commenced with low pressure steam, or with the ordinary boiling, and
continued while in the acid state with the high pressure steam, according
to on's wrocent improvement
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Simon Pincofl's and Henry Edward Schunck,
in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 14th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
SIMON PINCOFFS, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manu-
facturing Chemist, and HENRY EDWARD SCHUNCK, of Rochdale, in the
County of Lancaster, Doctor of Philosophy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hei
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Пerself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Simon Pincoffs and Henry Edward
Schunck, Ier espocial licence that we, the spid Simon Pincoffs and

page_text: Henry Edward Schunck, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Simon Pincoffs and Henry Edward
Schunck, 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;
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF MADDER, AND OTHER PLANTS OF THE
SAME SPECIES, AND OF THEIR PRODUCTS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING
DYEING MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others). that we
the said Simon Pincoffs and Henry. Edward Schunck, by an ‘instru-
ment in writing under our hands and. seals, or under the hand and
scal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
forined, 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 Simon Pincoff's and Henry
Edward Schunck, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is
to say):
Our Invention consists, firstly, in exposing madder, or any plants of
the same species, spent madder, or any preparation of madder, and
plants of the same species, or of spent madiler, such as washed madder,
fermented madder, garancine, garanceux, or other such substances;' by
whatever name they are known in commerce. either to the combined
action of watery vapour and an elevated temperature in a close vessel,
or to a current or atmosphere of high pressure steam; that is, steam
possessing a higher temperature than 212° Fahrenheit. The article
thus produced we propose to call commercial alizarine.
Secondly, in preparing an improved garancine from any kind of
madder, or plants of the same species, or an improved garanceux from
spent madder, by means of the ordinary action of strong acids, such as
sulphuric or muriatic acids, combined with high-pressure steam; that
is, steam possessing a higher temperature than 12°* Fahrenheit.

page_text: For the purpose of effecting the first part of our Invention, we
proceed in the following manner:―
Having taken a vessel of brass, iron, or other metal, or of glass, of
such a strength of material as to be capable of resisting a considerable
pressure from within, and of such construction as to admit of being
easily opened and closed, we introduce into it a quantity of madder, or
any of its preparations. The material, if very dry, may be previously
moistened with water, either pure or slightly diluted with an alkali,
though the moisture generally existing in it in a state imperceptible to
the eye, that is, the state of what is usually called hygroscopic moisture,
yields sufficient vapour for the purpose to be effected. If a metal vessel
be used, it is well to give it an internal casing or lining of glass or wood,
so as to prevent the material coming into direct contact with the metal.
The material having been introduced into the vessel, the latter is
closed, and the contents now gradually heated to a temperature as much
above 212° Fahrenheit as may be required, according to the experience
of the operator in reference to the material to be treated, or the effect
intended to be produced, and kept at the desired temperature for a length
of time, to be determined by the conditions above mentioned.
It may,
however, he remarked that several sorts of madders, especially if pre-
viously washed or fermented, are materially improved when they have
undergone the action of the elevated moist temperature during a very
short time, (say from five minutes to half an hour); but it is better, as a
general rule, to continue the action much longer, say for several hours.
at a temperature of about 300° Fahrenlicit. The vessel may be heated
above the boiling point of water by immersion in a bath of oil, sulphuric
acid, fusible metal, chloride of zinc, or any liquid which may be raised
to the desired temperature without volatilizing, and then raising the
bath to the required temperature by the application of fire, the degree
being ascertained by a thermometer suspended in the bath, or, the vessel
may be cased wholly or partly with a strong irou jacket, and high
pressure steam introduced and kept at a given point of pressure, or a
worm may be placed in the vessel. Many modifications of apparatus,
however, will readily suggest themselves to all competent persons.
After the vessel has been kept at the required temperature for a
sufficient time it is allowed to cool, and, being opened, the material

page_text: contained in it is removed; it may then be washed with cold water,
and pressed: it can then be used. If dried, it is ground into as fine a
powder as practicable. Another method of carrying out this part
of our Invention is as follows:-We take a vessel of metal. wood, or
any suitable material, of such strength as to resist a considerable
pressure from within. This vessel is furnished with a false bottom,
perforated with holes, on which the material is placed; near the
bottom is a small tap, for the purpose of allowing the escape of water
or other liquid; and, both at the top and bottom, the vessel is provided
with pipes for the admission of steam. The material to be acted on
having been placed on the false bottom, the vessel is closed, and a
valve opened for the admission of high pressure steam, which is allowed
to pass through the material, and escape by the bottom tap for a few
minutes. This is then closed, and the steam allowed to act on the
material in the vessel the required time; it is then shut off, the vessel
opened, and the material removed and allowed to cool; then, if desired,
washed with cold water, and pressed: it is now fit for use. If dried, it
must be ground to a very fine powder. A quantity of liquid, arising from
the condensation of the steam within the vessel, and containing a slight
quantity of matter extracted from the madder or preparation of madder
acted upon, will have accumulated below the false bottom; this is
allowed to run off by the tap at bottom from time to time, as the
operation proceeds, and from which a certain amount of coloring
matter may be recovered. The length of time that the material is to
be left under operation, and the temperature of the steam employed,
will be varied, as before, according to the experience of the operator
and the effect desired. We prefer, however, using steam capable of
exciting a pressure of about 30 lbs. on the square inch. After placing
the material within the vessel, and before subjecting it to heat or high-
pressure steam, the air may be drawn therefrom by means of an ordi-
nary air pump, so as to cause a vacuum or partial vacuum in the
vessel. When madder in any state has, by our process, been subjected
to a powerful action of high-pressure steam before having been
changed into garancine or other preparation by the action of strong
acids, it is advisable, after the steaming or heating process has been

page_text: completed, as before described, to subject them to the operation usually
employed for making garancine or garanceux, at a temperature of 212°
Fahrenheit, or thereabouts; then to remove the excess of acid by
means of cold water. The method, however, which we prefer above all
is, first to act upon madder or spont madder with strong sulphuric or
muriatic acid, assisting the action by means of heat applied in a suitable
manner, as in making ordinary garancine and garanceux, washing the
acid out completely with cold water, taking care that no acid is left. It
is well to neutralize the last trace of the acid with water containing a
small quantity of some alkali or other suitable substance, and even if a
trace of the alkali be left in the material it is better than the presence
of acid. The material is then filtered and pressed, and subjected, in a
close vessel, as above described, to the action of a more elevated tem-
perature, or to that of a current or atmosphere of high-pressure steam,
for a time, according to the effect we desire to obtain, at a pressure of
about 30 lbs. to the square inch; the operation may be continued
even to fourteen hours, or more, with good effect. The operation of this
part of our Invention causes a loss of weight varying according to the
degree of action to which it has been submitted; but this loss is more
than compensated for by the superiority of article produced, for our
commercial alizarine may be used as a dyeing matter without the after
ordinary processes of soaping, branning, &c.; but, if desired, these
operations may be adopted with advantage when a still greater purity
of color is desired. It will also he found, that the goods in the dye
bath may be submitted to continued boiling with considerably less injury
to the color than would take place when using ordinary madder.
The second part of our Invention may be performed in the following
manner: We take a vessel, the same as that described in reference
to the first part of our Invention; in this we place a quantity of
madder, or spent madder. which has been previously mixed or moistened
with a watery solution of strong acid; and, having closed the vessel, we
introduced through the steam pipe a quantity of high-pressure steam,
which we allow to act on the mixture on the vessel for several hours;
the vessel is then opened, the mixture is taken out, washed with cold
water to remove the excess of acid, pressed, dried, and ground in the

page_text: same manner as that usually employed in the preparation of " garan-
cine" and "garanceux." This method differs from that ordinarily
practised, inasmuch as, according to the usual method, the mixture of
madder, or spent madder, and dilute acid, is heated' by means of a
current of steam in an open vessel to a temperature of 212° Fahrenheit;
whereas by our method the mixture is heated by the use of a close
vessel, and steam of a higher temperature than 212° Fahrenheit 'The
advantages which our improved garancine or garanceux offer over that
manufactured by the ordinary process are, that the colors are purer and
faster; in fact, to a certain extent, the advantages are gained which the
commercial alazarine offers.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire
it to be understood that we do not intend to confiue ourselves to the
particular courses of operation described, or to the apparatus alluded to
for carrying the same into effect, as many modifications may be adopted
without departing from the spirit of our Invention; that which we claim
as our Invention being,-Firstly, the application of the combined action
of watery vapour and a higher temperature than 212° Fahrenheit, on
madder, munject, spent madder, garancine, or other preparations from
madder or other plants of the same species, for the purpose of obtaining
a coloring material. Secondly, the combined action of strong acids and
watery vapour of a temperature above 212° Fahrenlicit, on madder,
munjeet, and spent madder, for the same purpose.
In witness whereof, 1. the said Simon P'incoffs, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and fifty-three.
S. P'INCOFFS.
(L.S.)
S. PINCOFFS. (L.S.)