Production of bromine oxygen compounds

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRODUCING ALKALI AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL BROMITES FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE HYPOBROMITES WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES: (A) ADJUSTING THE INITIAL PH CF AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A HYPOBROMITE, THE CATION OF WHICH IS A METAL ION SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL IONS, AND CONTAINING AT LEAST 200 GRAMS PER LITER OF AVAILABLE BROMINE TO A PH OF 10.5 TO 12 SO AS TO START SPONTANEOUS CONVERSION OF THE HYPOBROMITE TO THE CORRESPONDING BROMITE, (B) MAINTAINING THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE SOLUTION BELOW ROOM TEMPERATURE AND BELOW THAT TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE BROMITE WOULD BE DECOMPOSED AT THE AFORESAID ADJUSTED PH, UNTIL OBTAINING A PRIMARY BROMITE-ENRICHED SOLUTION CONTAINING BROMITE AND HYPOBROMITE, WHEREIN THE CONVERSION OF HYPOBROMITE TO BROMITE HAS APPROXIMATELY ATTAINED A MAXIMUM FOR THE RESPECTIVE PH AND TEMPERATURE; AND (C) ADDING TO THE PRIMARY SOLUTION A METAL HYDROXIDE, THE CATION OF WHICH IS THE SAME AS THE CATION OF HYPOBROMITE, IN SUCH AMOUNTS AS TO RAISE THE ADJUSTED PH IN THE SOLUTION TO AT LEAST 12 SO AS TO STOP THE CONVERSION OF HYPOBROMITE TO BROMITE AT THE AFORESAID MAXIMUM AND SIMULTANEOUSLY STABILIZE THE RESLTING SECONDARY BROMITE-CONTAINING SOLUTION.