Distillation of metals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE DISTILLATION OF A NORMALLY NON-VOLATILE METAL HAVING A STABLE HALIDE FROM MATERIALS BEARING THE SAME WHICH COMPRISES SELECTING A HALIDE OF A VOLATILE SUBSTANCE THE VAPOR OF WHICH HAS AN AVERAGE HEAT OF DISSOCIATION INTO SUBSTANCE VAPOR AND HALOGEN ATOMS SMALLER THAN THE AVERAGE HEAT OF DISSOCIATION OF THE VAPOR OF THE STABLE HALIDE OF THE SAID NON-VOLATILE METAL INTO HALOGEN ATOMS AND METAL ATOMS AND GREATER THAN THE AVERAGE HEAT OF DISSOCIATION OF THE VAPOUR OF THE STABLE HALIDE OF THE SAID NORMALLY NON-VOLATILE METAL INTO HALOGEN ATOMS AND CONDENSED METAL, EVAPORATING THE SAID HALIDE, CONTACTING AND REACTING THE VAPOUR OF THE SAID HALIDE WITH THE SAID MATERIAL AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE WHICH UNDER TE PREVAILING PRESSURE IS ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF EVAPORATION OF THE SAID VOLATILE SUBSTANCE IN CONTACT WITH THE SAID METAL BEARING MATERIAL AND BELOW THE TEMPERATURE OF FORMATION OF ANY UNSTABLE LOWER HALIDE OF THE SAID NON-VOLATILE METAL FROM THE SAID METAL BEARING MATERIAL, THEREBY REACTING THE NON-VOLATILE METAL WITH THE VAPOUR OF THE HALIDE OF THE VOLATILE SUBSTANCE TO VAPORIZE THE STABLE HALIDE OF THE NON-VOLATILE METAL FROM SAID MATERIAL WITH SIMULTANEOUS FORMATION OF THE VAPOUR OF THE VOLATILE SUBSTANCE, AND COOLING THE VAPOUR MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION TO CONVERT SAID MIXTURE INTO THE NON-VOLATILE METAL AND THE HALIDE OF THE VOLATILE SUBSTANCE AND CONDENSE THE NON-VOLATILE METAL.