Preparation of magnesium-containing silicon alloys

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PREPARING TERNARY MAGNESIUM-CONTAINING SILICON ALLOYS, COMPRISING ADDING TO A MOLTEN SILICON ALLOY CONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SILICON, THE BALANCE BEING ESSENTIALLY AT LEAST ONE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CALICUM, IRON, CHROMINUM, AND MANGANESE, MAGNESIA IN AN AMOUNT OF ABOUT 5 TO 100 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, CALCULATED ON THE ALLOY, HEATING SAID MIXTURE ABOVE THE MELTING POINT OF SAID ALLOY AT A TEMPERATURE OF 1000 TO 1400*C., WHEREBY PART OF SAID MAGNESIA REACTS WITH PART OF SAID SILICON TO FORM SILICA AND MAGNESIUM, WHICH MAGNESIUM IS BOUND BY UNREACTED SILICON IN THE REACTION MASS TO FORM MAGNESIUM SILICIDE, WHEREAS SAID SILICA FORMS WITH OTHER PART OF SAID MAGNESIA A SILICATE SLAG, AND SEPARATING SAID SLAG FROM THE OBTAINED TERNARY MAGNESIUM-CONTAINING SLICON ALLOY.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PREPARING TERNARY MAGNESIUM-CONTAINING SILICON ALLOYS, COMPRISING ADDING TO A MOLTEN SILICON ALLOY CONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF SILICON, THE BALANCE BEING ESSENTIALLY AT LEAST ONE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CALICUM, IRON, CHROMINUM, AND MANGANESE, MAGNESIA IN AN AMOUNT OF ABOUT 5 TO 100 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, CALCULATED ON THE ALLOY, HEATING SAID MIXTURE ABOVE THE MELTING POINT OF SAID ALLOY AT A TEMPERATURE OF 1000 TO 1400*C., WHEREBY PART OF SAID MAGNESIA REACTS WITH PART OF SAID SILICON TO FORM SILICA AND MAGNESIUM, WHICH MAGNESIUM IS BOUND BY UNREACTED SILICON IN THE REACTION MASS TO FORM MAGNESIUM SILICIDE, WHEREAS SAID SILICA FORMS WITH OTHER PART OF SAID MAGNESIA A SILICATE SLAG, AND SEPARATING SAID SLAG FROM THE OBTAINED TERNARY MAGNESIUM-CONTAINING SLICON ALLOY.