Improved Means and Apparatus for Disinfecting and Deodorizing and for Producing Spray of Various Antiseptic Agents.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1837
Complete Left, 2nd May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th July. 1388
Improved Means and Apparatus for Disinfecting and Deodorizing
and for Producing Spray of Various Antiseptic Agents.
We ARTHUR BOAKE and FREDERICK GEORGE ADAIR ROBERTS both of Warton
Road Stratford in the County of Essex Manufacturing Chemists do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
We have discovered that anhydrous sulphurous acid held in the liquid state under
pressure is miscible with carbolic acid in any proportion as long as the two liquids are
confined together in a closed vessel. When a mixture of the two acids is so confined
the pressure exercised by the SO, can be utilised to project a fine stream or spray of
the mixed or combined liquids into the air for the purpose of disinfecting or
deodorizing.
When allowed to escape cold, the two agents in great part separate on reaching the
air, the sulphurous acid permeating the atmosphero whilst the carbolic acid saturated
with sulphurous acid is deposited after passage through the air, on to the ground or on
the body to be disinfected or deodorized.
Where it is desired that both acids or a combination of them should permeate the
atmosphere in the condition of finely divided vapour the combined or mixed liquids
should be heated as they escape from the closed vessel by any suitable means to such a
degree as will supply all the heat required by the sulphurous acid on recovering its
normal gaseous condition and to vapourise the carbolic acid, the quantity of such heat
will necessarily depend on the respective quantities of each acid present.
The vessel which we have found it convenient to employ to store the mixed or
combined acids in, is an ordinary glass "syphon" bottle such as is used for aerate:
waters fitted with a screw down valve to regulate the outflow but instead of glass,
copper or iron bottles may be employed, and any suitable means of regulating the
outflow or stopping the bottles may be employed. When the glass syphons are used
the tube of the tap is extended either in metal or glass to nearly the bottom of the
syphon so that the vessel may be nearly emptied whilst standing upright.
The proportions of carbolic acid and liquefied sulphurous acid which we have found
convenient to employ is equal volumes or thereabouts of each body.

page_text: With respect to our invention of vaporising the, mixed or combined acids as they
escape by heat we employ for this purpose a coil of fine copper tubing through which
the disinfectants are passed from the closed vessel or reservoir, the coil is fitted into a
lantern where it is heated by the flame of an oil or spirit lamp or the lamp may be
dispensed with and an iron "heater "such as is used in tea urns employed instead.
This "heater" is simply a short bar of round iron say 1 or 2" in diameter which is
heated to redness in a fire and then dropped or placed within the coil in the lantern.
In lieu of carbolic acid, any of its homologues, menthol, thymol, the creasole or
creasylic acids or any mixture of them may be used for the purpose of this
invention.
Dated this 1th day of Anruct 1007
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: and for Producing Spray of Various Antiseptic Agents.
We, ARTHUR BOAKE and FREDERICK GEORGE ADAIR ROBERTS both of Warton
Road Stratford in the County of Essex, Manufacturing Chemists, 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 :-
We have discovered that anhydrous sulphurous acid otherwise known as sulphur-
dioxide held in the liquid state under pressure is miscible with certain phenols such as
carbolic acid and with camphors and terbenes in considerable proportion as long as the
bodies are confined together in a closed vessel. When a mixture of the bodies is so
confined the pressure exercised by the SO, can be utilised to project a fine stream or
spray of the mixed or combined bodies into the air for the purpose of disinfecting or
deodorizing, or for other purposes.
Where it is desired that the bodies should permeate the atmosphere in the condition
of finely divided vapor the combined or mixed bodies should be heated as they escape
from the closed vessel by any suitable means to such a degree as will supply all the
heat required by the sulphurous acid on recovering its normal gaseous condition and
to vaporise the phenol, the quantity of such heat will necessarily depend on the
respective quantities of the phenol and sulphurdiexide present.
We would state that we are aware that it has before been proposed to manufacture
a disinfectant by passing sulphurous acid through carbolic acid at the ordinary
pressure and temperature and a Patent for the preparation of a disinfectant in this
manner was granted to W. Crookes No. 2763 in the year 1871, but carbolic acid under
these conditions will only absorb about 15% of its weight of sulphurous acid whilst by
our invention any proportion may be used.
We would also state that a Patent No. 12238 in the year 1885 was granted to
ourselves for the use as a disinfectant of sulphurous acid as it is allowed to escape from
a closed vessel containing it under pressure in a liquid state.
By our present invention we utilise the pressure exercised by the liquid sulphurous
acid to project a spray of mixed sulphurdioxide and the associated agent and we are
enabled to use such agent (e.g. carbolic acid) admixed with sulphurous acid in far
greater proportion than was heretofore practicable.
In carrying out our invention we have found it convenient to store the combined or
mixed agents in an ordinary glass "syphon" bottle such as is used for aerated waters
but fitted with a small screw down conically pointed valve to control the outflow.
The stem of the valve may be made to pass up through a stuffing box and have a head
formed on its end by which it can be turned. Such a syphon bottle is shewn at A in
the drawing annexed.
Instead of glass; copper or iron bottles can be used and also other forms of valve
can be used for controlling the outflow of the mixed or compound bodies. The
descending pipe of the "syphon" bottle may be of any suitable metal or it may be of

page_text: glass this pipe passes as usual to nearly the bottom of the bottle so that the bottle may
be nearly emptied when standing upright.
To fill the bottle with the mixed agents we first put into the bottle the quantity of
the particular body or bodies which it is desired to use in conjunction with the sulphur
dioxide.
In the case of carbolic acid we by preference put in about half the volume of the
bottle we then connect the passage from the valve by a screw union or in other
suitable way with the outlet from a tap or valve on a vessel in which a quantity of
liquid sulphurous acid is stored, and then by opening this tap or valve allow liquid to
pass from it into and to fill the bottle.
By closing the valve on the Bottle the liquid is then shut in and the bottle can be
removed from the supply vessel containing the liquid sulphurous acid and is ready
for use and a spray of the mixed bodies can at any time by opening the valve be
allowed to issue from the valve outlet. When it is desirable to superheat the issuing
spray we couple the outlet from the tap or valve to one end of a coil of thin copper
tubing B which is contained within a cylinder surrounded by an outer cylinder
with an air space or nonconducting material between the two. A heater D which
is a short bar of round iron say 1 to 2 inches in diameter heated to redness is placed
within the coil and the cover C¹ placed over the top of the cylinder C. The tap or
valve of the bottle is then opened and the liquid issuing from it passes through the
several convolutions of the heated coil and is thereby heated and issues from the coil
as a fine spray or vapor.
Other means than those above described may be used for heating the coil of pipe
through which the liquid is allowed to escape but the arrangement shewn is the one
which we prefer.
In lieu of phenols any allied bodies such as cresols, menthol, thymol, camphors or
terpenes, wood creosote or the like soluble in or miscible with the sulphur dioxide may
be used for the purpose of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim
is :-
1. The storing under pressure of liquid sulphur dioxide commonly known as
anhydrous sulphurous acid having in solution phenols (such as carbolic acid) cresols,
menthol, thymol, camphors, terpenes (such as oil of turpentine) wood creosote, or the
like bodies in closed vessels from which the mixture can be allowed to issue as a spray
or vapor expelled by the dynamic energy of the liquid sulphur dioxide.
2. The combination of apparatus for storing the above mentioned bodies and liquid
sulphurous acid and for heating the mixed bodies as they are allowed to issue from the
vessel containing them substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
drawing annexed.
Date this 1st dov' of Mov 1000