Process for the production of niobium pentachloride

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NIOBIUM PENTACHLORIDE IN WHICH CHLORINE GAS IS PASSED THROUGH A POROUS BED OF FERRO-NIOBIUM IN A CHLORINATING ZONE MAINTANED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 600*C. WHEREBY A STREAM OF VOLATILE CHLORIDES INCLUDING NIOBIUM PENTACHLORIDE AND FERRIC CHLORIDE IS FORMED AND THE STREA OF VOLATILE CHLORIDES IS PASSED INTO CONTACT WITH SODIUM CHLORIDE WHEREBY A MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE COMPISING SODIUM CHLORIDE AND FERRIC CHLORIDE IS FORMED IN SAID BED OF SODIUM CHLORIDE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF PASSING THE STREAM OF VOLATILE CHLORIDES FROM THE CHLORINATING ZONE INTO A SODIUM CHLORIDE BED POSITIONED VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID CHLORINATING ZONE, MAINTAINING SAID SODIUM CHLORIDE BED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 249* C. TO ABOUT 670*C., PASSING THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE FORMED IN SAID SODIUM CHLORIDE BED VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY ON TO THE FERRO-NIOBIUM BED IN SAID CHLORINATING ZONE, PASSING SAID MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE THROUGH SAD FERRO-NIOBIUM BED, COLLECTING THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE COMPRISING SODIUM CHLORIDE, FERRIC CHLORIDE AND FERROUS CHLORIDE FROM BELOW SAID FERRO-NIOBIUM BED IN SAID CHLORINATING ZONE, CHLORIDES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM FERROUS CHLORIDE AND FERRIC CHLORIDE FROM ABOVE SAID SODIUM CHLORIDE BED, AND SEPARATING AND RECOVERING NIOBIUM PENTACHLORIDE FROM SAID WITHDRAWN VOLATILE CHLORIDES.