Process of Manufacturing Cyanides.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar.,
1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
Process of Manufacturing Cyanides.
I, AUGUST DZIUK, of 1B, Herschelstrasse, Hanover, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
German Empire, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
The present invention relates to the manufacture of cyanides by means of
elementary nitrogen, and has for its object to enable this manufacture to be
carried out in a more advantageous manner than heretofore.
It consists essentially in the process of converting the carbides of the alkaline
earthy metals, including magnesium, into cyanides by treating said carbides in
the molten state, or in the nascent state, at from thirteen hundred to three
thousand degrees Centigrade, with pure nitrogen.
In carrying out my improved process the said carbides may be made use of
singly as well as mixed. The cyanides obtained may be converted into alkaline
cyanides by treatment with alkaline compounds in the usual manner. By the
use of a mixture of the carbide or carbides with iron or with iron compounds,
ferro-cyanides of the respective metals are obtained, which compounds may also
he converted in the well known manner into ferro-cyanides of the alkaline metala
by treatment with alkaline compounds.
For putting the invention into practice any kind of electric furnace suitable
for the production of carbide in adapted.
For the carrying out of my process on a large scale the carbide furnace of the
Electric Construction Corporation Limited, as shewn in Liebetanz's treatise on
Calcium Carbide and Acetylene, page 33, are specially suited.
Besides, or instead, of the nitrogen of the atmosphere free nitrogen prepared
from any other source might obviously be made use of. In any case the current
of nitrogen should be freed from carbonic acid, water vapour and oxygen, and,
moreover, should be applied in a reheated state.
Process of Manufacturing Cyanides.
I, AUGUST DZIUK, of 1B. Herschelstrasse, Hanover, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
German Empire, Mining Engineer, 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:—
The present invention relates to the manufacture of cyanides by means of

page_text: elementary nitrogen, and has for its object to enable this manufacture to be
carried out in a more advantageous manner than heretofore.
It consists essentially in the process of converting the carbides of the alkaline
earthy metals, including magnesium, into cyanides by treating said carbides in
the molten state at from thirteen hundred to three thousand degrees Centigrade,
with pure hot nitrogen.
1
In carrying out my improved process the said carbides may be made use of
singly as well as mixed. The cyanides obtained may be converted into alkaline
cyanides by treatment with alkaline compounds in the usual manner. By the
use of a mixture of the carbide or carbides with iron or with iron compounds,
ferro-cyanides of the respective metals are obtained, which compounds may also
be converted in the well known manner into ferro-cyanides of the alkaline metals
by treatment with alkaline compounds.
According to the observations of Moissan, it was assumed that free or elementary
nitrogen had no action upon the carbides of the alkaline earthy metals, and of
magnesium. This assumption is met with in all later special treaties (see for
inst. Ahrens, Chemical and Chemical Technological Lectures, Vol. 1; Liobetanz,
Calcium Carbide and Acetylene) and the German Patents Nos. 88363, 92587 and
95660 (Frank and Caro) are based upon the same.
I have discovered that, on the contrary, elementary, that is, free nitrogen is
able to react with the said carbides so as to transform the same into cyanides.
Moissan and his successors have carried out their experiments at relatively low
temperatures, about red heat, (see also the specification above referred to); at
these low temperatures at which the carbides just commence to soften, a reaction
of the nitrogen with the aforesaid carbides can indeed not be proved. As the
reaction of nitrogen with the metals of the alkaline earths, and with magnesium,
only takes place at very high temperatures (see for instance Mugdan, Argon and
Helium in Ahrens Lectures, Vol. 1, page 126, and so on) I was led to the con-
clusion that an action of nitrogen upon carbides of the said metals might take
place when the carbides are heated to such a temperature as would impart to
their components (for instance in the case of calcium carbide or Ca C³, Ca and C)
a tendency to dissociate. On the basis of this consideration. I have found that
when pure nitrogen is passed, in the electric furnace, over the carbide whilst in
the fluid state, that is to say at a temperature of from 1300 to 3000° Centigrade,
the carbide is transformed into cyanide, and that the transformation is enhanced
by applying a current of nitrogen that has previously been heated to a high
temperature.
For putting the invention into practice any kind of electric furnace suitable
for the production of carbide is adapted. I have made use of the simple Moissan
furnace, adding at right angles to the electrodes and opposite the carbon tube
containing the carbide or mixture of carbide and iron to be amelted, a second
tube of carbon which passes into the smelting space, and through which is
admitted a current of atmospheric nitrogen which has previously been freed
from the carbonic acid, water vapour and oxygen, and preferably heated at high
temperature. The resulting brown product contains only a small remainder of
undecomposed carbide, but is essentially cyanide. It appears to be advantageous
after the absorbing of the nitrogen to allow the product to cool somewhat in the
nitrogen atmosphere of the furnace.
For the carrying out of my improved process on a large scale the carbide
furnaces of the Electric Construction Corporation Limited, as shewn in said
Liebetanz's treatise on Calcium Carbide and Acetylene, page 33, are specially
suited. The escaping gases serve to heat the nitrogen, which is admitted under
pressure, as in the Bessemer process; the blowing in of the nitrogen may take
place intermittently.
i
In the above described manner not only can any carbide of the alkaline earthy
metals and of magnesium be treated but also mixtures thereof. Moreover, the
corresponding ferro-cyanides of said metals can be prepared by adding iron or

page_text: iron compounds to the mixture to be melted. Besides, or instead of, the nitrogen
of the atmosphere, free nitrogen prepared from any other source might obviously
be made use of. From the cyanides or ferro cyanides of the alkaline earthy
metals and of magnesium thus obtained, the cyanides or ferro-cyanides of the
alkali metals can be obtained in the well known manner by smelting the same
with suitable alkaline compounds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The herein described process of manufacturing cyanides of the alkaline
earth metals including magnesíum which consists in subjecting carbides of the
said metals in the molten state to the action of a hot current of pure elementary
nitrogen, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The herein before described process of manufacturing ferro-cyanides of the
alkaline earth metals including magnesium, which consists in subjecting carbides
of the said metals in the molten state and mixed with iron or iron compounds
to the action of a hot current of pure elementary nitrogen, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
Da 10
301000