IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING BORATES OF LIME AND MAGNESIA, AND A NEW COMPOSITIO!! FORMED THEREWITH, SUITABLE FOR GLAZING AND OTHER PURPOSES FOR WHICH BORAX HAS BEEN OR MAY BE EMPLOYED
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Beatson, of Rotherham, in the County of
York, Manufacturing Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TREATING BORATES OF LIME AND MAGNESIA, AND A NEW COMPOSITIO!!
FORMED THEREWITH, SUITABLE FOR GLAZING AND OTHER PURPOSES FOR WHICH
BORAX HAS BEEN OR MAY BE EMPLOYED."
Sealed the 25th April 1856, and dated the 5th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Beatson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
December 1855.
I, WILLIAM BEATSON, of Rotherham, in the County of York, Manu-
facturing Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATING BORATES OF LIME AND MAGNESIA, AND A NEW
COMPOSITION FORMED THEREWITH, SUITABLE FOR GLAZING AND OTHER PURPOSES FOR
WHICH BORAX HAS BEEN OR MAY BE EMPLOYED," to be as follows:-
The principal object of this Invention consists in an improved method or
methods of treating mineral borates of lime and magnesia, for the purpose of
obtaining therefrom boracic acid, either in a separate state, or in combination
with soda, potash, or ammonia; and also in combining the said borates of
lime and magnesia directly with alkaline or other fluxes, to produce a flux or
glaze for purposes for which borax has been or may be employed.

page_text: Letters Patent have been taken out, dated July 25th, 1804, for electing
the object first mentioned, by treating borate of lime with sulphuric or other
acids, and also by boiling the borate of lime with a solution of carbonate of
soda directly; but it is there stated, and, I believe, has been found, that such
process is not so advantageous as to lead to its adoption.
One of my improvements consists in heating or fluxing the borates of lime
or magnesia along with carbonate of soda (either dry or in crystals), or with
sulphate, muriate, or other salt of soda, in a furnace, and heating the fused
mixture to a red heat, whereby the combination of the soda and boracic acid
is more completely effected; the resulting borax or borate of soda is dissolved
and crystallized in the usual way.
Another improved method which I employ consists in treating, by boiling
or otherwise, the mineral borate of lime with ammonia or potash, or the car-
bonate, sulphate, or other salts of the said alkalies, and which (particularly
the salts of ammonia, which I prefer,) combine with the boracic acid of the
mineral in the humid method more completely than the salts of soda do.
Thirdly, another method which I employ is to treat the borates of lime and
magnesia, by boiling or otherwise, with sulphate or muriate of soda, either
alone, or, which I prefer, along with a small proportion of ammonia, or sulphate
or other salt of ammonia.
I now proceed to describe the means I adopt :-1st, I take and grind or
mix together 4 cwt. of the mineral borate of lime with 2 cwt. dry carbonate of
soda, or an equivalent quantity of the same in crystals, or a similar quantity
of sulphate, muriate, or other cheap salt of soda, and heat the mixture in a
reverberatory furnace, and keep the mixture in a red-hot fused state for about
2 an hour, care being taken not to heat the mixture too highly, the proper
temperature being easily attained by a fow trials. Sometimes I prefer to pass
steam over the mixture in the reverberatory or similar furnace employed. The
mixture is then drawn out and lixiviated with water, the resulting liquors
evaporated, and the borax crystallized in the usual way.
2nd, to carry out the second part of my Invention, I take, say, 10 cwt. of
the mineral borate of lime or magnesia, and boil it in a closed iron vessel along
with about 5 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, and a sufficient quantity of water
for 2 hours, collecting in the usual way any ammonia which may be given
off. The whole is then run off and allowed to settle, and the resulting sedi
ment subjected to a similar treatment with the same quantity of sulphate of
ammonia a second or third time, if found necessary. The clear liquor, con-
sisting chiefly of borate of ammonia, can be evaporated and crystallized, and
the resulting borate of ammonia employed for purposes for which borax o
G

page_text: borate of soda is now used, or be converted into boracic acid by distilling off
the ammonia by heating it in a closed retort; I prefer, however, to add to the
clear solution of borate of ammonia as much sulphuric acid as will rather
more than unite with the ammonia, and evaporate the solution, and crystallize
out the boracic acid, whilst the resulting liquor, containing principally the
sulphate of ammonia, I again employ for a fresh operation on a further
quantity of the mineral borate of lime or magnesia. The boracic acid thus
obtained can be employed for purposes for which it is usually required, or mado
into borax by combination with carbonate of soda in the usual way, as is well
understood.
To carry out the 3rd part of my Invention, I take, say, 10 cwt. borate
of lime or magnesia, and a similar quantity of sulphate of soda, with 4 cwt.
of sulphate of ammonia, and boil the mixture with about 200 gallons of
water for 5 or 6 hours, the mixture being allowed to settle, and the clear
liquor evaporated and crystallized in the usual way; or, which I prefer, boiled
again for a similar time in about 10 cwt. of a fresh quantity of borate of
lime or magnesia, after which the borax may be crystallized out, as is well
understood.
To carry out the last part of my Invention, I find that for many purposes
for which borax is or may be employed it is not necessary to separate the lime,
&c. from the boracic acid with which it is combined in the mineral borates of
lime and magnesia; I therefore take the mineral as imported, and subject it
to such cleaning process, by picking and washing, as may be necessary, and,
by preference, mix it with dry carbonate of soda, by grinding both together to
a fine powder in various relative proportions, to which I do not confine myself.
The same object may be effected by mixing the mineral borate of lime, as
aforesaid, with potash, silica, alumina, oxide of lead, or other alkaline or earthy
ingredients which have been or may be employed as glazes for pottery, &c.,
or for other purposes for which borax has been or may be employed.
30 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Beatson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAMI
BEATSON, of Rotherham, in the County of York, Manufacturing Chemist,
35 send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth
year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Beatson, Her special licence that I, the said William Beatson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Beatson, 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
TREATING BORATES OF LIME AND MAGNESIA, AND A NEW COMPOSITION FORMED
THEREWITH, SUITABLE FOR GLAZING AND. OTHER PURPOSES FOR WHICH BORAX HAS
*BEEN OR MAY BE EMPLOYED," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
'said William Beatson, 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 William Beatson, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
The principal object of this Invention consists in an improved method or
methods of treating mineral borates of lime and magnesia, for the purpose of
obtaining therefrom boracic acid, either in a separate state, or in combination
with soda, potash, or ammonia; and also in combining the said borates of lime
and magnesia directly with alkaline or other fluxes, to produce a flux or glaze
for purposes for which borax has been or may be employed.
Letters Patent have been taken out, dated July 25th, 1854, for effecting
the first-mentioned object, by treating borate of lime with sulphuric or other
acids, and also by boiling the borate of lime with a solution of carbonate of
soda directly; but it is stated in the Specification of such Letters Patent, and,
I believe, has been found, that the latter process, viz., boiling with a solution
of carbonate of soda is not advantageous.
.
And my first improvement consists in heating or fluxing the borates of lime
and magnesia along with carbonate of soda (either dry or in crystals), or
with sulphate, muriate, or other salt of soda, in a furnace, and heating the

page_text: fused mixture to a red heat, whereby the combination of the soda and boracic
acid is more completely effected; the resulting borax or borate of soda is
dissolved and crystallized in the usual way.
My second improvement consists in treating, by boiling or otherwise, the
mineral borate of lime and magnesia with ammonia or potash, or the car-
bonate, sulphate, or other salts of the said alkalies, and which (particularly
the salts of ammonia, which I prefer,) combine with the boracic acid of tho
mineral in the humid method more completely than the salts of soda do.
My third improvement consists in treating the borates of lime and magnesia,
by boiling or otherwise, with sulphate or muriate of soda, either alone, or
(which I prefer) along with a small proportion of ammonia, or of the sulphate
or other salt of ammonia.
I now proceed to describe the means I adopt for carrying my Invention
into effect.
To carry out the first part of my Invention, I take and grind or mix together
4 cwt. of the mineral borate of lime or magnesia with 2 cwt. of dry carbonate of
soda, or an equivalent quantity of the same in crystals, or a similar quantity
of sulphate, muriate, or other cheap salt of soda, and heat the mixture in a
reverberatory furnace, and keep the mixture in a low red-hot fused state for
about half an hour, care being taken not to heat the mixture too highly, the
proper temperature being easily attained by a few trials. Sometimes I prefer
to pass steam over the mixture in the reverberatory or similar furnaces
employed. The mixture is then drawn out and lixiviated with water, the
resulting liquors evaporated, and the borax crystallized in the usual way.
To carry out the second part of my Invention, I take, say, 10 cwt. of the
mineral borate of lime or magnesia, and boil it in a closed iron vessel along
with about 5 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia (or potash), and a sufficient quantity
of water for two hours, collecting in the usual way any ammonia which may
be given off. The whole is then run off and allowed to settle, and the resulting
sediment subjected to a similar treatment with the same quantity of sulphate
of ammonia a second or third time, if found necessary. The clear liquor,
consisting chiefly of borate of ammonia, can be evaporated and crystallized,
and the resulting borate of ammonia employed for purposes for which borax
or borate of soda is now used, or be converted into boracic acid by distilling
off the ammonia by heating it in a closed retort; I prefer, however, to add to
the clear solution of borate of ammonia as much sulphuric acid as will rather
more than unite with the ammonia, and evaporate the solution, and crystallizo
out the boracic acid, whilst the resulting liquor, containing principally the
sulphate of ammonia, I again employ for a fresh operation on a further

page_text: 1
quantity of the mineral borate of lime or magnesia. The boracic acid thus
obtained can be employed for purposes for which it is usually required, or made
into borax by combination with carbonate of soda in the usual way, as is well
understood.
To carry out the third part of my Invention, I take, say, 10 cwt. of borate
of soda or magnesia, and a similar quantity of sulphate or muriate of soda,
with cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, and boil the mixture with about 200
gallons of water for five or six hours, the mixture being allowed to settle, and
the clear liquor evaporated and crystallized in the usual way; or, which I
prefer, boiled again for a similar time in about 10 cwt. of a fresh quantity of
borate of lime or magnesia, after which the borax may be crystallized out, as
is well understood.
To carry out the last part of my Invention, I find that for many purposes
for which borax is or may be employed it is not necessary to separate the lime,
'or magnesia, or other matters from the boracic acid with which it is com-
bined in the mineral borates of lime and magnesia; I therefore take the
mineral as imported, and subject it to such cleaning process as may be
necessary, by picking and washing, and, by preference, mix it with dry car-
bonate of soda, by grinding both together to a fine powder in various relative
proportions, to which I do not confine myself. The same object may be
effected by mixing the mineral borate of lime and magnesia, as aforesaid, with
potash, silica, alumina, oxide of lead, or other alkaline or earthy ingredients
which have been or may be employed as glazes for pottery, &c., or for other
purposes for which borax has been or may be employed.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, as constituting my
said Invention,-
First, the treating of the borates of lime and magnesia with carbonate of
soda, or with sulphate, muriate, or other salt of soda, for the purpose and in
the manner herein-before described.
Second, the treating of the borates of lime and magnesia with ammonia or
potash, or with carbonate, sulphate, or other salts of ammonia and potash, for
the purpose and in the manner herein-before described.
Third, the treating of the borates of lime and magnesia with sulphate or
muriate of soda, either alone or combined with ammonia, or with the sulphate
or other salt of ammonia, in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
And, fourth, I claim the production of a composition suitable for glazing
and other purposes for which borax has been or may be employed, by

page_text: combining borates of lime and magnesia directly, that is to say, without
preliminary decomposition, with dry carbonate of soda, or with potash, silica,
alumina, oxide of lead, or other alkaline or earthy ingredient, in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beatson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM BEATSON. (L.S.)