Manufacture of halogen compounds

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PRODUCING HALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS AND METAL SULFATES, COMPRISING TREATING IN A REACTION ZONE SOLID METAL HALIDE SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL CHLORIDES, ALKALI METAL BROMIDES, ALKALINE EARTH METAL CHLORIDES, AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL BROMIDES WITH A SATURATED HYDROCARBON, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 250* TO 450* C., IN THE PRESENCE OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE, THE SULFUR TRIOXIDE BEING IN THE PROPORTION OF FROM ABOUT 0.5 MOLE TO 8 MOLES TO 1 MOLE OF THE HYDROCARBON; SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING A GASEOUS PRODUCT STREAM AND A NON-GASEOUS PRODUCTS STREAM FROM THE REACTION ZONE, THE GASEOUS PRODUCT STREAM COMPRISING HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON, SULFUR DIOXIDE, AND HYDROGEN HALIDE, AND THE NON-GASEOUS STREAM COMPRISING METAL SULFATE; AND RECOVERING THE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON FROM THE GASEOUS PRODUCT STREAM.