IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING CHLORINE
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Townsend, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING CHLORINE.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Townsend at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1874.
I, JOSEPH TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING CHLORINE," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
-
This Invention has for its object the obtaining of chlorine in a botter
and more economical manner than heretofore, and consists in passing
gaseous hydrochloric acid and atmospheric air in contact with heated

page_text: 'mixtures or compounds of manganese and magnesium or their oxides, a
result of the reaction taking place being the evolution of chlorine, which
may be utilised or applied in any suitable known way.
In carrying out the Invention, according to one modification, a
mixture is made of equal quantities of manganese, oxide, and magnesia, or
any oxidised compound of manganese and magnesium is taken, such as
manganite, manganate, or permanganate of magnesia, or a mixture is
made of equal quantities of manganese carbonate and magnesia car-
bonate. These materials are mixed with some adhesive substance, such
as clay, and are by preference baked so as to form porous pieces which
can be permeated by the hydrochloric acid and air.
By a second modification a mixture is taken of manganese chloride
and magnesium chloride in solution, and is applied to saturate bricks
or other suitable inert materials..
The compounds prepared, according to any of the modes herein-before 1
described, are placed in any suitable heating chamber or vessel, and the
hydrochloric acid and air are passed into such chamber or vessel so as to
come in contact with and permeate the materials.
The contents of the chamber or vessel are to be heated in any con-
venient manner to a temperture, by preference between 200 and 300 degrees
Fahrenheit. A higher temperature may be used, but does not appear to
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Townsend in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
TOWNSEND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Manufacturing Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-

page_text: oighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Townsend, Her special licence,
that I, the said Joseph Townsend, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Townsend, 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
OBTAINING CHLORINE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Joseph Townsend, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 I, the said Joseph Townsend, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the obtaining of chlorine in a
better and more economical manner than heretofore, and consists in
passing gaseous hydrochloric acid and atmospheric air in contact with
heated mixtures or compounds of manganese and magnesium, or their
oxides, a result of the reaction taking place being the evolution of
chlorine, which may be utilised or applied in any suitable known
way.
In practically carrying out my said Invention, according to one modi-
fication, I make a mixture of equal quantities of manganese, oxide, and
magnesia; or I take any oxidised compound of manganese and mag-
nesium, such as a manganate or permanate of magnesia; or I make a
mixture of equal quantities of manganese carbonate, and magnesia car-
bonate. I prefer to take equal quantities as stated, but by no means
restrict myself thereto, as the reaction will take place notwithstanding
that considerable deviation may take place from the said proportions.
The materials are mixed with some adhesive substance, such as clay,

page_text: wow porous picoGS, WHICH CALL
permeated by the hydrochloric acid and air.
With the view to obtaining increased porosity any inert or non-
injurious materials may be combined with the clay and the oxidised
compound of manganese and magnesium.
In practically carrying out my said Invention, according to a second
modification, I take a mixture of manganese chloride and magnesium
chloride in solution, and I apply it to saturate bricks or other suitable
inert materials.
In this, as in the first modification, I prefer to use equal quantities of
the manganese chloride and magnesium chloride, but do not restrict
myself to these proportions.
The compounds prepared, according to any of the modes herein-before
described, are placed in any suitable heating chamber or vessel, and the
hydrochloric acid and air are passed into or through such chamber or 1
vessel, so as to come in contact with and permeate the materials.
I prefer to use an exhauster for obtaining the necessary current
through the apparatus, as its action can be very conveniently regulated,
but a chimney draught might be used, or the current might be produced
by blowing or forcing instead of exhausting.
The contents of the chamber or vessel in which the decomposition or
reaction is effected are heated in any convenient manner to a temperature
exceeding 200 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature between 200 and
300 degrees Fahrenheit will answer very satisfactorily, provided that it is
uniformily maintained, but I find that when adopting such temperature
there is in practice considerable risk of the temperature occasionally falling
injuriously low, and I therefore now prefer to maintain a temperature of
about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, but do not restrict myself thereto, as a
still higher temperature will answer.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that what I believe to be novel
and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the obtaining of chlorine by
passing gaseous hydrochloric acid and atmospheric air in contact with

page_text: heated mixtures or compounds of manganese and magnesium, or their
oxides, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Townsend, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Seventh day of April, in the year of
set
my
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOSEPH TOWNSEND. (L.S.)