Method for obtaining more economical extraction of the valuable constituents of those minerals which contain iron at lower states of oxidation than fe2o3 in their molecular structures

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF UPGRADING A MINERAL ORE CONTAINING FEO AS ONE CONSTITUENT AND AS A SECOND CONSTITUTENT THE OXIDE OF ANOTHER METAL HAVING AN INITAL METAL: FE RATIO OF LESS THAN 3:1 TO A METALLURGICAL GRADE ORE HAVING A FINAL METAL: FE RATIO OF MORE THAN 3:1, AND WHEREIN SAID FEO AND OTHER METAL OXIDE IN BOTH THE INITAL ORE AND THE METALURGICAL GRADE ORE ARE MOLECULARLY BONDED RADICALS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF COMMINUTING THE ORE, HEATING THE COMMINUTED OE AT A PREFERRED TEMPERATURE RANGE OF ABOUT 700* TO 750* CENTIGRADE UNDER OXIDIZING CONDITIONS WHILE CONTROLLING THE DEGREE OF COMMUNUTION, THE HEATING TEMPERATURE AND THE OXIDIZING CONDITIONS SO AS TO CONVERT AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID FEO TO AN FE2O3 RADICAL IN THE IROM OXIDE-METAL OXIDE MOLECULE, WHEREBY THE RATIO OF IRON OXIDE RADICALS TO SAID METAL OXIDE RADICALS IN SAID MOLECULE IS DECREASED, REDUCING SAID OXIDIZED ORE AT A PREFERRED TEMPERATURE RANGE OF ABOUT 1200* TO 1260* CENTIGRADE TO CONVERT AT LEAST A PORTON OF SAD FE2O3 RADICAL TO FEO IN THE IRON OXIDE-METAL OOXIDE MOLECULE AND LIBERATING UNCOMBINED FE3O4 WHILE LEAVING THE METAL OXIDE SUBSTANTIALLY UNCHANGED, WHEREBY THE RATIO OF IRON TO SAID METAL IN SAID MOLECULE IS DECREASED, AND EXTRACTING AT LEAST A PORTON OF UNCOMBINED FE3O4 WITH A CHEMICAL REAGENT REACTIVE THEREWITH, WHEREBY THE RATIO OF SAID METAL TO IRON IN SAID ORE IS INCREASED.