Precipitation of elemental metal powder

Claim 1

IN PRECIPITATING AS ELEMENTAL METAL POWDER A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER, NICKEL, COBALT AND CADMIUM, BY THE ACTION OF A NON-SULFIDIZING REDUCING GAS AT REDUCTION TEMPERATURES WITHIN A SELECTED ELEVATED TEMPERATURE RANGE AND UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, ON AN AQUEOUS AMMONIACAL-AMMONIUM SALT SOLUTION OF DISSOLVED SALTS OF SAID METAL, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF PROVIDING REDUCTION-PROMOTING SOLIDS WHICH COMPRISES: PRODUCING IN SAID SOLUTION A KNOWN DISSOLVED CONTENT OF SAID METAL SUCH THAT, AT TEMPERATURES WITHIN SAID REDUCTION TEMPERATURE RANGE, SAID SOLUTION IS CONCENTRATED IN BUT NOT SATURATED THEREWITH; BRINGING INTO REACTIVE CONTACT IN A CLOSED REACTION VESSEL, A SLURRY COMPRISING A KNOWN VOLUME OF RESULTANT SOLUTION AND A FINITE AMOUNT OF ELEMENTAL METAL WHEREBY DISSOLUTION OF SAID ELEMENTAL METAL IS INITIATED; PRODUCING SAID REDUCTION TEMPERATURES IN SAID SOLUTION; DISSOLVING A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF SAID ELEMENTAL METAL TO SATURATE SAID SOLUTION IN DISSOLVED METAL AT SAID REDUCTION TEMPERATURES, WHEREBY PRECIPITATION OF SUSPENDED, FINELY-DIVIDED METAL OXIDE IS INDUCED; CONTINUING ELEMENTAL METAL DISSOLUTION WITH RESULTANT PRECIPITATION OF SUSPENDED METAL OXIDE ONLY UNTIL SUFFFICIENT METAL HAS DISSOLVED TO PRECIPITATE A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF FINELY-DIVIDED SUSPENDED METAL OXIDE PARTICLES; AND WITH SAID REDUCING GAS, REDUCING SAID SUSPENDED OXIDE IN SITU TO SUSPENDED, FINELY-DIVIDED METAL PARTICLES.