Method of thermally reducing titanium oxide

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZIRCONIUM AND TITANIUM, COMPRISING MIXING AN OXIDE OF THE SELECTED METAL WITH MAGNESIUM METAL, USING THE MAGNESIUM IN EXCESS OF THAT THEORETICALLY NEEDED TO EFFECT COMPLETE REDUCTION, HEATING THE MIXTURE IN INERT GAS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT LESS THAN 1000*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO MELT THE MAGNESIUM, TO CAUSE IT TO REACT WITH SAID OXIDE TO EFFECT A PARTIAL REDUCTION, COOLING THE MIXTURE, LEACHING, DRYING THE PARTIALLY REDUCED OXIDE, MIXING IT WITH COMMERCIAL CALCIUM, USING THE CALCIUM IN EXCESS OF THAT THEORETICALLY NEEDED TO EFFECT COMPLETE REDUCTION, HEATING THE MIXTURE IN AN INERT GAS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT LESS THAN 1000*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO MELT THE CALCIUM, TO CAUSE IT TO REACT WITH THE PARTIALLY REDUCED OXIDE AND LIBERATE THE SELECTED METAL IN POWDER FORM, LEACHING AND DRYING THE SEPARATED POWDER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZIRCONIUM AND TITANIUM, COMPRISING MIXING AN OXIDE OF THE SELECTED METAL WITH MAGNESIUM METAL, USING THE MAGNESIUM IN EXCESS OF THAT THEORETICALLY NEEDED TO EFFECT COMPLETE REDUCTION, HEATING THE MIXTURE IN INERT GAS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT LESS THAN 1000*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO MELT THE MAGNESIUM, TO CAUSE IT TO REACT WITH SAID OXIDE TO EFFECT A PARTIAL REDUCTION, COOLING THE MIXTURE, LEACHING, DRYING THE PARTIALLY REDUCED OXIDE, MIXING IT WITH COMMERCIAL CALCIUM, USING THE CALCIUM IN EXCESS OF THAT THEORETICALLY NEEDED TO EFFECT COMPLETE REDUCTION, HEATING THE MIXTURE IN AN INERT GAS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT LESS THAN 1000*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO MELT THE CALCIUM, TO CAUSE IT TO REACT WITH THE PARTIALLY REDUCED OXIDE AND LIBERATE THE SELECTED METAL IN POWDER FORM, LEACHING AND DRYING THE SEPARATED POWDER.