Production and purification of titanium

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING TITANIUM FROM TITANIUM BEARING MATERIAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IMPURE TITANIUM AND TITANIUM ALLOYS WHICH COMPRISES THE FOLLOWING STEPS, ALL CARRIED OUT IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE; HEATING THE TITANIUM BEARING MATERIAL, EVAPORATING A TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORIDE AND BROMIDE, LEADING THE VAPOR OF SAID TETRAHALIDE IN AN UNSATURATED STATE OVER THE HEATED MATERIAL, THEREBY TO FORM A VAPOUR MIXTURE CONTAINING SAID TETRAHALIDE AND LOWER NORMALLY STABLE TITANIUM HALIDES, LEADING SAID VAPOR MIXTURE TO A COOLER ZONE WHEREBY THE LOWER HALIDES CONDENSE AS SOLIDS EXCEPT FOR A SMALL AMOUNT WHICH DECOMPOSES INTO TETRAHALIDE VAPOUR AND PURIFIED TITANIUM WHICH CONDENSES WITH THE LOWER HALIDES, REDUCING THE TETRAHALIDE PRESSURE IN SAID COOLER ZONE TO A VALUE LOWER THAN THE DECOMPOSITION PRESSURE OF THE LOWER HALIDES WHILE HEATING THE CONDENSATE THEREIN TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH UNDER THE APPLIED PRESSURE THE HALIDES WILL DISSOICATE INTO METALLIC TITANIUM AND FREE HALOGEN, THEREBY TO DECOMPOSE THE CONDENSED LOWER HALIDES INTO PURIFIED METALLIC TITANIUM AND TETRAHALIDE VAPOUR, AND RE-USING THE TETRAHALIDE FROM THE CONDENSATION AND DECOMPOSITION STEPS FRO FURTHER EXTRACTION OF TITANIUM FROM THE TITANIUM BEARING MATERIAL.