Method of producing alloys of alkali metal and lead having a grain form and structure suited to lead alkyl synthesis

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF FORMING SMALL PARTICLES OF LEAD-ALKALI METAL ALLOY OF UNIFORM SIZE AND HAVING CRYSTALS OF RELATIVELY HIGH PURITY AND A SIZE WHICH MAKES THE PARTICLES PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR USE IN THE PREPARATION OF LEAD ALKYLS, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A MOLTEN BATH OF A LEAD-ALKALI METAL ALLOY HAVING A COMPOSITION CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE FORMULA MEPB, WHEREIN ME REPRESENTS AN ALKALI METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM, WHICH WHEN IN THE SOLID STATE IS VERY BRITTLE AND WHICH WHEN SOLIDIFIED ON A COOLED SURFACE FORMS A CRYSTAL GROWTH PREPENDICULAR TO THE SURFACE, PASSING THROUGH SAID BATH A CYLINOF SAID ALLOY, SAID SURFACE BEING PROVIDED WITH OF SAID ALLOY, SAID SURFACE BEING PROVIDED WITH EQUALY SPACED PARALLEL PERIPHERAL RIDGES WITH INTERMEDIATE DEPRESSIONS, WHEREBY A SOLIFIFIED BRITTLE LAYER OF METAL WITH A CRYSTAL GROWTH AT RIGHT ANDLES TO THE COOLED SURFACE IS FORMED ON SAID SURFACE, SCRAPING SAID SOLIDIFIED METAL LAYER FROM SAID SURFACE AND BENDING IS SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH A SHARP ANGLE, WHEREBY IT IS SMULTANEOUSLY AND AUTOMATICALLY BROKEN ALONG THE DEPRESSIONS AND CRYSTAL BOUNDARIES INTO PARTICLES OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SOZE.