Ion retardation method of separating solutes

Claim 1

A METHOD OF TREATING AN AQUEOUS STARTING SOLUTION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE, AS SOLUTES, TO SEPARATE THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE FROM ONE ANOTHER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (1) FEEDING A PORTION OF SAID SOLUTION TO A WATER IMMERSED BED OF A GRANULAR AMPHOTERIC ION EXCHANGE AGENT (INDIVIDUAL GRANULES OF WHICH ARE EACH AN INSOLUBLE COMPOSITE BODY OF AT LEAST TWO INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED SOLID RESIN INGREDIENTS, INCLUDING AN INSOLUBLE CROSS-LINKED RESIN INGREDIENT AND A NORMALLY WATER-SOLUBLE IONIZABLE RESIN INGREDIENT WHICH IS INSOLUBLIZED BY THE INTIMATE ASSOCIATION WITH THE INSOLUBLE CROSS-LINKED RESIN INGREDIENT, ONE OF WHICH RESIN INGREDIENTS CONTAINS IONIZABLE CARBOXYLATE RADICALS AS CATION-EXCHANGING GROUPS THEREOF AND ANOTHER OF WHICH RESIN INGREDIENTS CONTAINS QUATERNARY AMMONIUM RADICALS AS ANION-EXCHANGING GROUPS THEREOF, THE AMPHOTERIC COMPOSITE ION EXCHANGE RESIN BODY AS A WHOLE CONTAINING AN AVERAGE OF FROM 0.3 TO 3 CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS OF ANIONEXCHANGING GROUPS PER CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS OF CATIONEXCHANGING GROUPS), SAID PORTION OF THE STARTING SOLUTION BEING IN AMOUNT SUCH THAT SAID AGENT CHEMICALLY ABSORBS IONS, BUT NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED SOLUTES, FROM THE PORTIONS OF THE STARTING SOLUTION THUS FED INTO CONTACT THEREWITH, AND THUS CHANGES THE RELATIVE PORPORTIONS OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED SOLUTES IN THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR, SAID PORTION OF THE STARTING SOLUTION BEING FED TO THE WATERIMMERSED BED OF THE GRANULAR AMPHOTERIC ION EXCHANGE AGENT IN A MANNER CAUSING FLOW OF WATER THROUGH AND FROM THE BED; (2) THEN INTERRUPTING THE FEED OF THE STARTING SOLUTION TO THE BED, (3) THEREAFTER FEEDING WATER TO THE BED AND (4) COLLECTING SUCCESSIVE FRACTIONS OF THE RESULTING EFFLUENT LIQUOR, WHEREBY IN EACH OPERATING CYCLE INVOLVING THE STEPS JUST STATED THERE ARE OBTAINED AN EFFLUENT LIQUOR FRACTION WHICH CONTAINS A HIGHER RATIO OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE TO SODIUM CHLORIDE THAN THE STARTING SOLUTION AND A SUBSEQUENT EFFLUENT LIQUOR FRACTION THAT CONTAINS A HIGHER RATIO OF SODIUM CHLORIDE TO SODIUM HYDROXIDE THAN THE STARTING SOLUTION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF TREATING AN AQUEOUS STARTING SOLUTION OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE, AS SOLUTES, TO SEPARATE THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE FROM ONE ANOTHER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (1) FEEDING A PORTION OF SAID SOLUTION TO A WATER IMMERSED BED OF A GRANULAR AMPHOTERIC ION EXCHANGE AGENT (INDIVIDUAL GRANULES OF WHICH ARE EACH AN INSOLUBLE COMPOSITE BODY OF AT LEAST TWO INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED SOLID RESIN INGREDIENTS, INCLUDING AN INSOLUBLE CROSS-LINKED RESIN INGREDIENT AND A NORMALLY WATER-SOLUBLE IONIZABLE RESIN INGREDIENT WHICH IS INSOLUBLIZED BY THE INTIMATE ASSOCIATION WITH THE INSOLUBLE CROSS-LINKED RESIN INGREDIENT, ONE OF WHICH RESIN INGREDIENTS CONTAINS IONIZABLE CARBOXYLATE RADICALS AS CATION-EXCHANGING GROUPS THEREOF AND ANOTHER OF WHICH RESIN INGREDIENTS CONTAINS QUATERNARY AMMONIUM RADICALS AS ANION-EXCHANGING GROUPS THEREOF, THE AMPHOTERIC COMPOSITE ION EXCHANGE RESIN BODY AS A WHOLE CONTAINING AN AVERAGE OF FROM 0.3 TO 3 CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS OF ANIONEXCHANGING GROUPS PER CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS OF CATIONEXCHANGING GROUPS), SAID PORTION OF THE STARTING SOLUTION BEING IN AMOUNT SUCH THAT SAID AGENT CHEMICALLY ABSORBS IONS, BUT NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED SOLUTES, FROM THE PORTIONS OF THE STARTING SOLUTION THUS FED INTO CONTACT THEREWITH, AND THUS CHANGES THE RELATIVE PORPORTIONS OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED SOLUTES IN THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR, SAID PORTION OF THE STARTING SOLUTION BEING FED TO THE WATERIMMERSED BED OF THE GRANULAR AMPHOTERIC ION EXCHANGE AGENT IN A MANNER CAUSING FLOW OF WATER THROUGH AND FROM THE BED; (2) THEN INTERRUPTING THE FEED OF THE STARTING SOLUTION TO THE BED, (3) THEREAFTER FEEDING WATER TO THE BED AND (4) COLLECTING SUCCESSIVE FRACTIONS OF THE RESULTING EFFLUENT LIQUOR, WHEREBY IN EACH OPERATING CYCLE INVOLVING THE STEPS JUST STATED THERE ARE OBTAINED AN EFFLUENT LIQUOR FRACTION WHICH CONTAINS A HIGHER RATIO OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE TO SODIUM CHLORIDE THAN THE STARTING SOLUTION AND A SUBSEQUENT EFFLUENT LIQUOR FRACTION THAT CONTAINS A HIGHER RATIO OF SODIUM CHLORIDE TO SODIUM HYDROXIDE THAN THE STARTING SOLUTION.