Purification of zirconium halides

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PURIFIED ZIRCONIUM TETRAHALIDE WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A MOLTEN MIXTURE CONTAINING ABOUT 70 TO 86 WT. PERCENT IMPURE ZIRCONIUM TETRAHALIDE, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZIRCONIUM TETRACHLORIDE, ZIRCONIUM TETRABROMIDE AND ZIRCONIUM TETRAIODIDE, AND ABOUT 14 TO 30 WT. PERCENT OF AT LEAST ONE ALKALI METAL HALIDE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 330* TO 600*C. TO VAPORIZE ZIRCONIUM TETRAHALIDE AND ADDING IMPURE ZIRCONIUM TETRAHALIDE TO SAID MOLTEN MIXTURE AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE THAT THE ZIRCONIUM TETRAHALIDE IS VAPORIZED THEREFROM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CARRYING OUT SAID VAPORIZATION FROM SAID MOLTEN MIXTURE HAVING INCORPORATED THEREIN A FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, ZIRCONIUM, ZIRCONIUM DIHALIDE, ZIRCONIUM TRIHALIDE, ZIRCONIUM SUBHALIDE-ALKALI METAL COMPLEXES AND MIXTURES THEREOF, SAID MATERIAL BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPRESS THE VOLATILITY OF METAL HALIDE IMPURITIES.