Year: 1888

page_text: дп prov
223
K4T35
I, HENRY SPENCER BLACKMORE, of Mount Vernon, in the County of Westchester,
and State of New York, United States of America, Chemist, 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 :-
My Invention relates to the manufacture of sodium; and it consists in intimately
mixing about twenty seven and one half (274) pounds of calcium hydrate Ca (OH),,
thirty one and one tenth (311) pounds of ferric or ferroso-ferric oxides or a mixturo
of both, thirty and nine tenths (30) pounds of sodium carbonate (dry) and ten
and one half (104) pounds of carbon in the form of charcoal, coal dust, bitumen, coal
tar, or other carbonaceous matter. This mixture is then placed in an iron cylinder
and gradually heated in a furnace until it attains a low red heat, at which temperature
it is kept for from 15 to 20 minutes. The heat is then raised until the cylinder is
white hot. The metallic sodium in the form of vapor, then escapes through a delivery
tube into a receiver, where it is condensed, while the carbonic oxide and hydrogen
gases, which also escape at the same time, are allowed to pass on out of a vent where
they are burned.
The above weights are only given as examples and I do not follow them strictly, as
when more of the ferroso-ferric oxide is present than ferric, a less amount of the
mixture of the oxides is required, and an additional amount of carbon, or carbonaceous
matter, etc. The weights have also to be varied more or less for good or poor
material.
The calcium hydroxide or hydrate Ca (OH), acts upon the sodium carbonate
(Na, CO) at a low heat forming calcium carbonate and sodium hydroxide (Na OH).
As the heat is raised, the carbon or carbonaceous matter, present, decomposes the

page_text: calcium carbonate, forming calcium oxide (Ca O) or quick lime and carbonic oxide,
which being a gas, passes off.
The carbon or carbonaceous matter at the same time also decomposes the ferric and
ferroso-ferric oxides present, forming metallic iron and carbonic oxide.
The nascent metallic iron in its finely divided state then immediately unites with the
oxygen of the sodium hydroxide (Na OH) forming the oxides of iron and setting free
hydrogen gas and metallic sodium which pass off in the form of vapor.
The metallic sodium having been thus driven off along with the hydrogen and
carbonic oxide, the residue consists of calcium oxide (CaO) or quick lime mixed
with ferric and ferroso-ferric oxides.
This has only to be mixed with water which again forms the calcium hydroxide
Ca (OH)2, the ferric and ferroso-ferric oxides being present, all that is necessary
for another charge, is to mix it with the requisite amount of sodium carbonate
(dry) and carbon, bitumen, coal tar, or other carbonaceous matter.
The iron in this process acts merely as a carrier of oxygen from the sodium hydroxide
to the carbon.
This can be proved by the iron existing in nearly the same state at the end of the
process as when it was started, that is, if too much carbon has not been used, in which
case the iron oxides are more or less reduced to the metallic state. The only difference
being, perhaps, a little more of the ferroso-ferric oxides than ferric, or vice versa.
There may possibly be a few other chemical compounds formed in this process but
they are of minor importance, and do not tend to aid or retard the process, the
slightest.
It is much preferable to use some hydrocarbon or mixture of hydrocarbons such
as bitumen, coal tar, etc., in this process, inasmuch as they not only aid in decom-
position etc., but the lighter hydrocarbon products volatilizing and distilling over
with the sodium serve to protect it from oxidation, which often takes place even
with the greatest care.
Sodium has been manufactured from sodium hydroxide by the action of metallic
iron with the aid of heat, but in that process, the sodium hydroxide has to be
made and then separated from waste products; it is then mixed with iron filings
or turnings, etc., and fused. The difficulty in this process seems to be, that the
sodium hydroxide fuses and becomes liquid at a heat sufficient to decompose it,
the iron having greater specific gravity naturally sinks to the bottom, and thus
retards the process.
In my process all this difficulty is obviated. First, the sodium hydroxide is
formed and decomposed all at the same time, thus economizing the time which
other processes take up dissolving out, evaporating the fusing. Secondly, the ferric
and ferroso-ferric oxides being of less specific gravity than metallic iron, they do
not settle down so easily and the calciuin oxide and carbon or carbonaceous matter
present, tend to hold the oxides in suspension. Thirdly, the iron oxides being
decomposed in the mixture leave the nascent iron in a finely divided, and thoroughly
mixed state, thus rendering the decomposition of the sodium hydroxide more thorough
and perfect.
Still further the waste-products or residue has only to be mixed with a little water
in order to slake the calcium oxide and we have the calcium hydroxide and iron oxides
mixed in the same proportions as when we started the process, all else necessary,
after drying, being to add the requisite amount of dry sodium carbonate and carbon
or carbonaceous matter and proceed as before.
Thus we see that the iron oxides and calcium salts may be used over and over again,
with but little loss.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The method herein described of making sodium, which consists in mixing together

page_text: calcium hydrate, ferric oxide, sodium carbonate and carbon, heating the same in a
chamber and collecting and condensing the vapors, substantially as described.
2. The process herein described of making sodium which consists in decomposing
sodium hydrate by nascent metallic iron in a finely divided state, substantially as
described.