Method of reducing metal halides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REDUCING A HIGHER HALIDE OF AN ELEMENT THAT CAN FORM MORE THAN ONE HALIDE WITH A HALOGEN, SAID HIGHER HALIDE BEING REDUCIBLE TO A LOWER HALIDE BY THE CORRESPONDING ELEMENT PER SE AND THE RESULTING LOWER HALIDE BEING FURTHER REDUCIBLE BY SODIUM, WHICH COMPRISES (1) PROVIDING A FIRST SUBSTANTIALLY FREE-FLOWING FINELY DIVIDED MASS OF SOLID PARTICLES, NON-REACTIVE WITH SODIUM, ON WHICH SODIUM IS DISPERSED AS A COATING ON SAID PARTICLES, (2) PROVIDING A SECOND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE-FLOWING FINELY DIVIDED MASS OF SOLID COMPRISING PARTICLES OF A SODIUM HALIDE AND PARTICLES OF A CORRESPONDING LOWER HALIDE OF SAID ELEMENT , SAID SECOND MASS HAVING BEEN FORMED BY ADDING A HIGHER HALIDE OF SAID ELEMENT TO A FINELY DIVIDED MASS OF SOLIDS COMPRISING PARTICLES OF A CORRESPONDING ELEMENT PER SE WHEREBY THE ADDED HALIDE IS RESPONDING ELEMENT PER SE WHEREBY THE ADDED HALIDE IS REDUCED TO A LOWER HALIDE BY SAID PARTICLES OF THE ELEMENT PER SE, AND(3) MIXING SAID FIRST AND SECOND FINELY DIVIDED MASSES TO AT LEAST PARTICALLY REDUCE SAID LOWER HALIDES IN SAID SECOND MASS BY REDUCTION REACTION WITH THE SODIUM DISPERSED IN SAID FIRST MASS, SAID REDUCTION STEP (3) BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT SAID REDUCTION BUT BELOW THE MELTING POINT OF THE PRODUCT OF STEP (3).