US1483852A - Process of making zinc chloride - Google Patents

Description

Feb, 12 9 W24. 1,483,852 7 I ROSENSTEIN PROCESS OF MAKING ZINC CHLORIDE Saluli'on ATTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUDWIG ROSENSTEIN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO GREAT WEST- ERIN ELECTRO CHEMICAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF MAKING ZINC CHLORIDE.

Application filed January 31, 1921. Serial No. 442,833.

T all who m it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lunwrc RoSENsTEIN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Process of Making Zinc Chloride, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the'art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to a process of producing zinc chloride, and its object is to produce an extremely pure article-rapidly and economically from zinc and chlorine.

Many attempts have'been made to produce zinc chloride directly, but when pure zinc is used the chlorine acts on it rapidly only in the presence of Water, and then tends to produce zinc chloride containing an indefinite form of zincoxychloride, zinc hypochlorite, zinc chlorate and free chlorine, all. of which are exceedingly undesirable impurities.

In the formation of zinc chloride from chlorine and zinc there is liberated about 113,000 calories of heat and the present process makes use of this heat to expedite the process and to aid in producing a solution of the required density, while other processes have absorbed and disposed of this heat by circulating an excessive amount of water. Y I

The development of this process shows that a small amount of some other substance must be added, which ma act as a catalyst, to the zinc to make the 'esired reaction go on as it should to produce a pure zinc chloride. The element lead is here used for this purpose in quantities varying from ito 1%, although the precise percentage is not material to the invention. Tin acts in the same way as lead. v y

he effect of the added substance is to hasten the reaction enormously and to produce a zinc chloride practically free from other chlorine compounds in a solution of any desired strength.

Another ob'ect of the invention is to sup ply the chlorlne to the zinc in such a manner as to prevent the chlorine from acting thereon so rapidly as tofuse a solid mass of zinc. This is accomplished by supplying the chlorine all around a column of the fine zinc particles.

Other objects of the invention will ap pear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings there is illustrated a form of apparatus for carrying out the process, in which the same reference numeral is applied to the same portion throughout, al-

though it will be understood by those which the zinc is thrown and into which water is discharged from the faucet 8.

At the bottom of the chimney there is ia'rger pipe 9 suitably connected to the lower pipe 7 to produce a gas chamber around the lower end of the pipe 7. The gas chamber produced between the pipe 9 and pipe 7 is for the purpose of causing the chlorine gas to be fed to the pipe 9'from all sides thereof, since only when the solution within the pipe 9 has been pushed down to the level of the bottom of the pipe 7 will the gas be able to attack the particles of zinc in the chimney, and then they will escape into the chimney around its entire peripshery.

ounted on supports 12 and 13 is a reto 1% of lead added! water' spray into a finely divided form 1 which is charged into the pipe 5 until the chimney is completely filled.

Water is then added until the tank 1 1 is nearly filled. Thereupon' the chlorine is allowed to pass into the chimney and as it does so .it forces the solution down around the pipe 7 so that it attacks the zinc all around. The chlorine reacts with the .zinc lead alloy to produce zinc chloride without the undesirable compounds mentioned, and with no loss, of chlorine. The lead gradually accumulates in the bottom of the tank and it may be scraped out from time to time.

The water is allowed to run in only as fast as may appear necessary to take off at the faucet 15 a solution of the desired density, the great heat developed causing all the surplus water to go oil as steam. The temperature re ulation is aimed to be such that the zinc c loride produced can be collected in the water used withoutturning all of the water used into steam and without heating the stack so hot as is likely. to melt the zinc, while the density of the solution produced depends entirely upon the wish of the person operating the stack. If a saturated solution is to be made, the Water is allowed to drip in slowly enough to cause most of it to evaporate down to the point where chlorine is likely to escape, whereas messsa if a weaker solution is desired a considerable excess of water is allowed to pass through the stack. 7

Experiment shows that the process cannot be worked with pure zinc, because the solutions obtained always contain considerable amounts of the impurities mentioned, and because the absorption of chlorine is so sluggish as to prevent commercial success.

What I claim is as follows:

A process of producing zinc chloride which comprises maintaining a column of zinc particles in a receptacle open at the top and bottom, maintaining a supply of solution to cover the bottom of receptacle, feedin the chlorine to the material to be treated from the entire periphery of said column of material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of January, A. D.

LUDWIG ROSENSTEIN.

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