Process for separating ferrous chloride from a gaseous mixture of fecl2 and nicl2

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING FERROUS CHLORIDE FROM A SOLELY GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF NICL2 AND AN AMOUNT OF FECL2 AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE AMOUNT OF SAID NICL2, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ESTABLISHING IN A REACTION ZONE A BODY OF METALLIC IRON, PASSING SAID SOLELY GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO AND THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE SO AS TO CONTACT IT WITH SAID METALLIC IRON DURING ITS PASSAGE THERETHROUGH AND SO AS TO PROVIDE A CONTACT TIME BETWEEN SAID SOLELY GASEOUS MIXTURE AND SAID METALLIC IRON IN SAID ZONE ADEQUATE FOR CHEMICAL REACTION THEREBETWEEN FOR A CONVERSION OF ALL OF THE NICKEL CHLORIDE PRESENT TO A NON-VOLATILE FORM OF NICKEL, SAID BODY OF METALLIC IRON BEING STOICHIOMETRICALLY SUFFICIENT IN AMOUNT TO REACT WITH ALL OF THE CHLORINE COMBINED WITH NICKEL AS NICL2 IN SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE WHICH IS INTRODUCED INTO AND PASSED THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH SAID METALLIC IRON SO AS TO FORM FECL2, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE AND OF SAID METALLIC IRON IN SAID REACTION ZONE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1650* F. UP TO THE BOILING POINT OF THE METALLIC CONSTITUENTS PRESENT, AND SEPARATING FERROUS CHLORIDE AS ONE STANTIALLY FREE OF NICL2, BY WITHDRAWING FERROUS CHLORIDE VAPOR FROM SAID ZONE TO PROVIDE SUBSTANTIALLY PURE SEPARATED FERROUS CHLORIDE AS ONE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.