Process for the production of niobium pentachloride

Claim 1

A PROCESS PRODUCING A NIOBIUM-CONTAINING PRODUCT IN WHICH THE NIOBIUM IS PRESENT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY AS NIOBIUM PENTACHLORIDE BY CHLORINATING, IN A CLOSED REACTOR, A PARTICULATE, OXIDIC ORE CONTAINING NIOBIUM OXIDE AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER METAL VALUE FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MANGANESE, CALCIUM, IRON, STRONTIUM, AND BARIUM, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES SIMULTANEOUSLY FEEDING TO A REACTOR SAID NIOBIUM OXIDE-BEARING ORE AND A CHLORINATING GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) CHLORINE, (2) PHOSGENE, (3) A MIXTURE OF CHLORINE AND CARBON MONOXIDE, (4) A MIXTURE OF CHLORINE AND PHOSGENE, AND (5) A MIXTURE OF CHLORINE, PHOSGENE AND CARBON MONOXIDE, WHILE MAINTAINING WITHIN THE REACTOR, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 300 TO 350*C., A BODY OF PRATICULATE, ACTIVATED CARBON PREPARED FROM A NATURAL CELLULOSIC PRODUCT, THE AMOUNT OF CHLORINE INTRODUCED BEING EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST A STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT TO CONVERT ALL OF THE CHLORINATABLE METAL VALUES IN THE ORE TO OXYGEN-FREE METAL CHLORIDES AND RECOVERING NIOBIUM PENTACHLORIDE PRODUCT BY REMOVING IT FROM THE REACTOR AT A POINT WHERE IT IS NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE NIOBIUM OXIDE-CONTAINING ORE.