Electrolytic method for producing tetraethyl lead

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TETRAETHYL LEAD BY ELECTROLYSIS WHICH INCLUDES INTRODUCING INTO AND FLOWING THROUGH AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL A LIQUID PHASE ELECTROLYTE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A TETRAETHYL COMPLEX OF ALUMINUM AND AN ALKALI METAL HAVING AN ATOMIC NUMBER OF 11 TO 19, TETRAETHYL LEAD AND A SCAVENGER COMPOUND OF THE FORMULA MAL(C2H5)3OR WHEREIN M IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM AND R IS AN ALKYL GROUP HAVING FROM 2 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS, CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING LIQUID LEAD AMALGAM THROUGH SAID CELL AS THE ANODE OF SAID CELL, ELECTROLYZING SAID ELECTROLYTE WHEREBY SAID ALKALI METAL IS DEPOSITED AS A LIQUID PHASE AT THE CATHODE WHICH IS POSITIONED ABOVE THE ANODE AND TETRAETHYL LEAD IS PRODUCED AT THE ANODE WHERE THE LEAD OF SAID AMALGAM IS IN THE LIQUID PHASE, SAID TETRAETHYL LEAD BEING INITIALLY PRESENT IN THE ELECTROLYTE IN A CONCENTRATION SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE DENSITY OF SAID ELECTROLYTE GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID ALKALI METAL, REMOVING THE SPENT AMALGAM FROM THE CELL, REMOVING SPENT ELECTROLYTE, SAID ALKALI METAL DEPOSITED IN LIQUID PHASE AT THE CATHODE AND TETRAETHYL LEAD PRODUCED AT THE ANODE, SEPARATING TETRAETHYL LEAD FROM THE SPENT ELECTROLYTE AND SAID ALKALI METAL IN LIQUID PHASE, ADDING FRESH ELECTROLYTE TO THE CELL AND RECOVERING TETRAETHYL LEAD AS PRODUCT.