GB781803A - Electrolytic removal of oxygen from titanium, zirconium, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese and chromium - Google Patents

Abstract

781,803. Electrolytic removal of oxygen impurity from metals. HORIZONS TITANIUM CORPORATION. April 18, 1955 [April 26, 1954], No. 11119/55. Class 41. At least a major portion of the oxygen present as an impurity in the metals titanium, zirconium, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese, or chromium, is removed by anodic electrolysis in an electrolyte containing carrier ions of the said metal at a voltage below that at which anodic oxidation occurs, the oxygen being transported to the cathode leaving the purified metal at the anode. The impure. metal may either be directly charged into and and rest on the bottom of the bath container connected as anode or if of massive pieces it may itself form the anode. The applied potential should be below 2 volts. The electrolyte may be an aqueous solution or a solution in an organic solvent having no labile hydrogen of a halide, double halide, anhydrous nitrate or sulphate of the metal to be purified or a fused halide salt bath. Typically a fused bath containing sodium chloride and a double fluoride of potassium and titanium (K 2 TiF 6 ) is electrolysed at 800‹ C. using a graphite cathode on which a small amount of titanium having a high oxygen content is deposited, the anodically connected metal having its oxygen content reduced from 0.5 to 0.1 per cent. Similar processes employing potassium fluozirconate and fluochromate in place of the fluotitanate are described for removing oxygen from zirconium and chromium.