Aluminothermic process of making boron, boron compounds and alloys

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ALUMINOTHERMICALLY PRODUCING BORIDES AND BORON ALLOY PRODUCTS HAVING MELTING POINTS TOO HIGH AND DENSITIES TOO LOW TO PERMIT SEPARATION BY DECANTATION BETWEEN THE PRODUCTS AND THE SLAG FORMED IN THE METHOD; COMPRISING MIXING A CHARGE MATERIAL CONTAINING BORIC ANHYDRIDE, ALUMINUM, CALCIUM OXIDE, AND A MATERIAL FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METALS AND METAL OXIDES TO COMBINE WITH THE BORON IN SAID PRODUCTS; HEATING THE MIXTURE TO FORM A MASS INCLUDING SAID PRODUCT INTERSPERSED IN A SOLUBLE SLAG; SAID CHARGE MATERIAL BEING PROPORTIONED TO PRODUCE THE PRODUCT AND SAID SLAG CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A TERNARY SYSTEM B2O3-AL2O3-CAO HAVING MOLE PERCENTAGE OF B2O3, AL2O3 AND CAO WITHIN THE AREA A-B-C-D-E-A SHOWN IN THE FIGURE, SAID PRODUCT BEING INCAPABLE OF SEPARATION FROM THE SLAG BY DECANTATION; SOLIDIFYING THE SLAG AND PRODUCT; DISSOLVING THE SLAG IN A MEDIUM SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID, NITRIC ACID AND CAUSTIC SODA SOLUTIONS; AND RECOVERING THE PRODUCT.