IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER AND OTHER SALTS OF THE SAME METAL
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, of Newton-le-Willows,
in the County of Lancaster, Chemist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER AND OTHER SALTS OF THE
SAME METAL."
'
Sealed the 3rd June 1862, and dated the 7th December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th December 1861.
I, BALTHASAR WILHELM GERLAND, of Newton-le-Willows, in the County of
Lancaster, Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER AND OTHER SALTS
OF THE SAME METAL," to be as follows:-
According to one part of my Invention I treat ores of copper with an acid
according to the salt required, and precipitate any iron that may be present;
for which purpose I use a carbonate or oxide of copper, availing myself. par-
ticularly of copper ores containing those substances. Thus, to manufacture
sulphate of copper, I treat the ore known as malachite with sulphuric acid,
neutralize the solution, and add a further quantity of the ore; by this means
the iron is precipitated, and the cupreous solution may be crystallized, if
desired. Or, another method I adopt is to treat a solution of copper, obtained
from metallic copper or otherwise, in the same manner; that is, I precipitate
the impurities-by means of malachite, or other-ore of a similar character.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BALTHASAR
WILHELM GERLAND, of Newton-le-Willows, in the County of Lancaster,
Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, Her special license that I, the said
Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I,.the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF SULPHATE OF COPPER AND
OTHER SALTS OF THE SAME METAL," upon the condition, amongst others, that
I, the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:
My Invention consists, firstly, in the manufacture of sulphate of copper, or
other salt of the same material, from the ore known as malachite; and,
secondly, in precipitating iron or other metals from-the solution by the addition
of a carbonate or oxide of copper, by which means I am enabled to produce
crystals in a comparatively-pure-state-;-and--I-also-employ the aforesaid-car-
bonates or oxides for precipitating impurities from other cupreous solutions
obtained from metallic copper or other source.
In carrying out my Invention I take the malachite and dissolve it in the
acid according to the salt required, say, sulphuric acid; this solution is readily

page_text: effected, and the liquid is then heated. I then take a further quantity of the
malachite, and having finally powdered it add it to the impure solution of
copper until the free acid is neutralized, and the iron and other base metals i
precipitated. Some precautions have to be observed in this part of the
process, varying according to the nature of the solution. If it contain
muriatic acid care ought to be taken not to add the carbonate of copper in
excess, as this would form an insoluble basic salt, and thus occasion a loss of
copper. It is also advantageous to convert all the iron of the solution into
the per-oxide before adding the carbonate of copper, as its separation in this
state is more expeditious. Should the solution contain an excess of arsenic or
phosphoric acid, I prefer combining the same with oxide of iron or alumina,
and then applying the carbonate of copper, as above described. After the
liquor has been heated, and freed from iron and other impurities in this way, the
precipitate is separated from the solution, and the latter can be used in that
state; or, if desired, it is evaporated, and allowed to crystalize. I have above
described the two parts of my Invention in combination, but the second
portion thereof may be applied to solutions of copper derived from other
sources than that of malachite.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim, as secured to me under the above in part recited
Letters Patent, firstly, the manufacture of sulphate and other salts of copper.
from that description of ore known as malachite; secondly, the use of
malachite or other carbonate of copper, and also of oxide of copper, for
precipitating iron and other metals from cupreous solutions.
In witness whereof, I, the said Balthasar Wilhelm Gerland, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
BALTHASAR WILHELM GERLAND. (L.S.)