mehltretter

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING AN ALKALI PERIODATE COMPRISING PASSING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THROUGH A CELL CONTAINING AN ANNOLYTE AND A CATHOLYTE SEPARATE BY A POROUS DIAPHRAGM, SAID CATHOLYTE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALKALI IN WHICH IS IMMERSED A CATHODE CAPABLE OF RESISTANCE TO CORROSION BY ALKALI AND BY ACID IN A REDCING ENVIRONMENT, SAID ANOLYTE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ELEMENTAL IODINE AND ALKALI IN WHICH IS IMMERSED A LEAD DIOXIDE ANODE, SAID ANOLYTE CONTAINING, IN ADDITION, A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF AN INORGANIC SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM SULFATE AND BORAX TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF A COATING OF INSOLUBLE ALKALI PARAPERIODATE ON SAID LEAD DIOXIDE ANODE DURINGG THE ELECTROLYSIS, SAID ELECTRIC CURRENT BEING PASSED THROUGH SAID CELL AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT FROM 5*C. TO 60*C. AND UTILIZING A CURRENT DENSITY OF ABOUT FROM 0.05 TO 0.3 AMPERE PER SQUARE CENTIMETER OF SAID LEAD DIOXIDE ANODE SURFACE UNTIL ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THE IODINE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO ALKALI IODATE, THEREAFTER ACIDIFYING THE CATHOLYTE AND ANOYLTE AND CONTAINING THE ELECTROLYSIS UNDER SUCH ACIDIC CONDITIONS TO CONVERT THE ALKALI IODATE TO ALKALI PERIODATE.