Method for the concentration and separation of metals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CONCENTRATING THE IONS OF A LEAST ONE METAL, COMPRISING DISSOLVING MATERIAL CONTAINING SAID AT LEAST ONE METAL IN AN IONIZING SOLVENT, PLACING THE SOLUTION THUS FORMED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN AN ANODE AND A CATHODE, ESTABLISHING BETWEEN SAID ANODE AND SAID CATHODE AND THROUGH SAID IONIZING SOLVENT A CONCENTRATION GRADIENT OF A COMPLEXING BASE HAVING A STEEPNESS OF FROM 10-30 TO 1 MOL. PER LITRE PER CM., SAID COMPLEXING BASE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF ABOUT 1 TO 10**3 TIMES THE EQUIMOLECULAR AMOUNT OF THE SAID AT LEAST ONE METAL, THE CONCENTRATION GRADIENT INCREASING FROM THE ANODE TO THE CATHODE, THE COMPLEXING BASE BEING ONE WHICH WILL FORM METAL CONTAINING COMPLEX ANIONS WITH THE IONS OF SAID AT LEAST ONE METAL AND WHICH TAKES PART IN THE INSTANTANEOUS INTERCONVERSION OF THE IONS OF SAID AT LEAS ONE METAL IN THE IONIZING SOLVENT, AND WHILE CONTAINING THE IONIZING SOLVENT SO AS TO PREVENT FREE CONVECTION WHIL PERMITTING ION MIGRATION, APPLYING A CURRENT THROUGH SAID IONIZING SOLVENT FROM THE ANODE TO THE CATHODE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT FOR THE COMPLEX ANIONS AND IONS OF SAID AT LEAST ONE METAL TO REACH AN EQUILIBRIUM POSITION WITH REGARD TO THE GRADIENT IN THE CATHOCE-ANODE INTERSPACE, WHEREBY THE METAL-CONTAINING ANIONS AND METAL IONS OF SAID AT LEAST ONE METAL ARE COLLECTED IN A SMALL ZONE IN THE IONIZING SOLVENT IN WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY HALF OF THE METAL CONTAINING IONS ARE IN ANIONIC FORM.