Method of producing titanium

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING TITANIUM WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A CRUDE ALLOY OF TITANIUM AND COPPER, HEATING SAID ALLOY IN A FIRST REACTION ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 1000* C. AND CONTACTING SAID HOT ALLOY WITH A VAPOR OF A THIRD METAL CHLORIDE FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ZINC CHLORIDE AND ALUMINUM TRICHLORIDE TO CONVERT SAID TITANIUM TO A GASEOUS CHLORIDE AND TO CONVERT THE METALLIC PORTION OF SAID THIRD METAL CHLORIDE TO A GASEOUS LOWER VALENCE STATE, PASSING THE GASEOUS PRODUCTS FROM THE FIRST REACTION ZONE TO A SECOND REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE, REACTING THE PRODUCT FROM SAID FIRST ZONE WITH TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE IN SAID SECOND ZONE TO FORM TITANIUM TRICHLORIDE AND SAID CHLORIDE OF SAID THIRD METAL, SEPARATING SAID TITANIUM TRICHLORIDE FROM THE REACTION MASS AND BY-PRODUCTS, DISPROPORTIONATING SAID TITANIUM TRICHLORIDE TO TITANIUM METAL AND TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE, AND RECYCLING SAID TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE TO SAID SECOND ZONE TO INCREASE THE PRODUCTION OF TITANIUM TRICHLORIDE THEREIN.