Process for producing high purity selenides or sulfides

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PRODUCING IN A REACTION VESSEL HAVING SOLELY ONE GAS CONDUIT, METAL SULFIDE AND METAL SELENIDE MATERIALS OF SUFFICIENT PURITY FOR PHOSPHOR AND SEMICONDUCTOR USE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FEEDING GASEOUS MATERIAL THROUGH THE SOLE GAS CONDUIT INTO THE VESSEL AT A RATE EQUAL TO THAT AT WHICH THE GASEOUS MATERIAL IS CONSUMED IN THE REACTION HEREINBELOW MENTIONED, SAID GASEOUS MATERIAL BEING SELECTED FROM THE CLASS COMPOSED OF HYDROGEN SELENIDE AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE, INJECTING AT THE TOP OF SAID REACTION VESSEL A FINELY DIVIDED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SALT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS COMPOSED OF CADMIUM CHLORIDE AND ZINC CHLORIDE, WHEREBY SAID FINELY DIVIDED SOLUTION IN GRAVITATING THROUGH THE GASEOUS MATERIAL PRESENTS A HIGH SURFACE-TO-VOLUME RATIO WHICH INSURES REACTION OF THE GAS AND SALT WITHOUT SATURATION OF THE SOLUTION, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING LIQUID AND SOLID MATERIAL FROM THE BASE OF SAID REACTION VESSEL THEREBY MAINTAINING A PREDETERMINED LIQUID LEVEL IN SAID REACTION VESSEL, FILTERING OUT SAID SOLID MATERIAL AND COLLECTING SAID SOLID MATERIAL AS PRODUCT, RECHARGING THE FILTRATE WITH SAID SALT AND RESPRAYING SAID RECHARGED SOLUTION INTO SAID REACTION VESSEL.