Purification of red phosphorus

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONCOMITANTLY REMOVING IRON AND YELLOW PHOSPHORUS FROM RED PHOSPHORUS CONTAMINATED WITH IRON IN EXCESS OF 15 PARTS PER MILLION AND FURTHER CONTAMINATED WITH SUFFICIENT YELLOW PHOSPHORUS TO BE AUTOINFLAMMABLE IN AIR, WHICH COMPRISES SUSPENDING SUCH CONTAMINATED RED PHOPHORUS IN WATER, IN A STATE OF DIVISION SUFFICIENTLY FINE THAT NO LESS THAN 90 PER CENT OF SAID PHOSPHORUS WILL PASS THROUGH A 100-MESH SCREEN; PASSING AIR IN FINE BUBBLES THROUGH THE RESULTING SLURRY UNTIL EVOLVED WHITE FUMES ARE NO LONGER VISIBLE; MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SLURRY IN THE RANGE FROM 60* TO 80* C.; MAINTAINING THE FINELY DIVIDED PHOSPHORUS IN SUSPENSION BY AGITATING THE SLURRY; SEPARATING THE RESULTING PARTIALLY PURIFIED PHOSPHORUS FROM THE RESULTING ACIDULATED WATER; WASHING THE SEPRATED PHOSPHORUS WITH WATER; AND SEPARATING THE RESULTING NON-AUTOINFLAMMABLE RED PHOSPHORUS CONTAINING LESS THAN 15 PARTS PER MILLION OF IRON FROM THE WATER USED FOR WASHING THE SAME.