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Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING NICKEL AND COBALT VALUES FROM NICKELIFEROUS ORES CONTAINING COBALT AND A GANGUE FRACTION COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: HEATING THE ORE UNDER CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE REMOVAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE WATER OF HYDRATION FROM THE ORE, OXIDIZING THE DEHYDRATED ORE INCLUDING THE NICKEL AND COBALT VALUES AND THE GANGUE FRACTION, CHLORINATING THE OXIDIZED NICKEL AND COBALT VALUES BY PASSING VOLATILE FERRIC CHLORIDE OVER SAID OXIDIZED ORE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 600* C. TO ABOUT 700* C. FOR EFFECTING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE CONVERSION OF THE NICKEL AND COBALT VALUES TO SOLID NICKEL CHLORIDE AND SOLID COBALT CHLORIDE WITH SUBSTANTIALLY NO ALTERATION OF THE GANGUE FRACTION, THEREAFTER HEATING THE SOLID NICKEL CHLORIDE AND SOLID COBALT CHLORIDE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 700* C. TO ABOUT 1000* C. AND AT SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE SUCH AS TO VOLATILIZE AND SEPARATE THE RESPECTIVE CHLORIDES FROM THE GANGUE FRACTION, SUBLIMATING THE VOLATILE NICKEL CHLORIDE AND COBALT CHLORIDE BY SELECTIVELY COOLING THE CHLORIDES UNDER SUB-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES SUCH AS TO FORM AND SELECTIVELY PRECIPITATE SOLID NICKEL CHLORIDE AND SOLID COBALT CHLORIDE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF IRON OXIDE, AND THEN OXIDIZING THE RESPECTIVE SOLID CHLORIDES OF NICKEL AND COBALT TO FORM NICKEL OXIDE AND COBALT OXIDE.