AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF PREPARING OR TREATING COPPER a
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS OF PREPARING OR TREATING COPPER a communication to me
from abroad by Wirth and Company acting as Agents for Wunibald Braun, all of
Frankfort on-the-Main, Germany, to be as follows:-
--
"
This Invention relates to a method of melting electrolyte copper and converting
over refined copper into refined copper of a high electric conducting power.
The Invention consists in a method of treatment during the melting of copper,
(whether electrolyte copper or obtained in any other manner) or of alloys rich in
copper, with hydrochloric acid gas or the hydrogen compounds of the remaining
halogens for the purpose of protecting the copper in melting from taking up foreign
bodies and further to separate completely or partly all impurities removable by
hydrochloric acid and especially to obtain in the dry way, copper free from blow
holes and of high electric conducting power.
According to this Invention, a current of gascous hydrochloric acid is passed
through the melted copper, which is protected from the atmosphere as much as
possible.
The protoxide of copper, whose presence renders the copper brittle, and when
casting, spongy, and at the same time greatly lowers its electric conducting power,
is volatilised as chloride of copper, without running the danger of polluting the
copper with foreign substances. All the metals mixed with the copper and
contained therein in the form. of oxides, as well as all metals which at melting
heat decompose hydrochloric acid, are at the same time removed by it.
In this manner
very ductile
copper free from blow holes and of a high electric
conducting power is obtained. This copper can be cast free from blow holes in
moulds which are filled with neutral gas (hydrochloric acid, carbonic acid, lighting
gas). Instead of recasting in moulds, the melting can be performed in suitably.
formed crucibles.
The so called pole refining of copper may be entirely replaced by this treatment
with hydrochloric acid gas; if however the copper contains a high percentage of
protoxide, it would in some cases be advantageous to pole it during a certain time,
but to dispense with the last stages of the poling operation and substitute the
above treatment with hydrochloric acid gas whereby. all danger of over-poling is
avoided.
;

page_text: -
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
13
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A., M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
'Patent Agenta, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PROCESS OF PREPARING OR TREATING COPPER (a communication to
me from abroad. by Wirth and Company acting as Agents for Wunibald Braun,
all of Frankfort on the Main, Germany,) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention relates to a method of melting electrolyte copper and converting
over refined copper into refined, copper of a high electric conducting power.
The Invention consists in a method of treatment during the melting of copper,
(whether electrolyte copper or obtained in any other manner) or of alloys rich-in
copper, with hydrochloric acid, gas or the hydrogen compounds of the remaining
halogens for the purpose of protecting the copper in melting from taking up foreign
bodies and further to separate completely or partly all impurities removable by
hydrochloric acid and especially to obtain in the dry way, copper free from blow
holes and of high electric conducting power.
According to this Invention, a current of gaseous hydrochloric acid is passed
through the melted copper, which is protected from the atmosphere as much as
possible.
The protoxide of copper, whose presence renders the copper brittle, and when
casting, spongy, and at the same time greatly lowers its electric conducting power,
is volatilised as chloride of copper, without running the danger of polluting the
copper with foreign substances. All the metals mixed with the copper and
contained therein in the form of oxides, as well as all metals which at melting
heat decompose hydrochloric acid, are at the same time removed by it.
In this manner a very ductile copper free from blow holes and of a high electric
conducting power is obtained. This copper can be cast free from blow holes in
moulds which are filled with neutral gas (hydrochloric acid, carbonic acid, lighting
gas). Instead of recasting in moulds, the melting can be performed in suitably
formed crucibles.
The so called pole refining of copper may be entirely replaced by this treatment
with hydrochloric acid gas; if however the copper contains a high percentage of
protoxide, it would in some cases be advantageous to pole it during a certain time
but to dispense with the last stages of the poling operation and substitute the.
above treatment with bydrochloric acid gas whereby all danger of over-poling is
avoided.
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
'
2
. b
The herein described method of treating copper (whether obtained by electro-
lysis or in any other manner) or alloys rich in copper, during the melting, with

page_text: hydrochloric acid gas or with the hydrogen compounds of the remaining halogens,
for the purpose of protecting the copper during the melting from taking up foreign
bodies, and completely or partially eliminating the impurities removable by hydro-
chloric acid, and especially for obtaining in the dry way copper free from blow
holes and of high electric conducting.power.