Process for the halogenation of leonardite and the product thereof

Claim 2

A CHLORINATED LEONARDITE COMPRISING LEONARDITE CONTAINING FROM 20 TO 65% BY WEIGHT OF CHLORINE, SAID CHLORINATED LEONARDITE BEING A DARK BROWN, AMORPHOUS SOLID BEING SOLUBLE IN CARBON TETRACHLORIDE AD INSULUBLE IN LOWER ALIPHATIC KETONES, AND AQUEOUS ALKALI SOLUTIONS, WHICH CHLORINATED LEONARDITE HAS BEEN MADE BY SUSPENDING LEONARDITE IN A HALOGEN SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON WHICH CONTAINS NOT MORE THAN 4 CARBON ATOMS, SUBJECTING THE LEONARDITE SUSPENSION TO A LIGHT SOURCE HAVING A WAVE LENGTH OF AT LEAST 1,800 A. BUT LESS THAN 10,000 A.. ADDING MOLECULAR CHLORINE TO SAID LEONARDITE SUSPENSION IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO SATURATE SAID ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON, CONTINUING TO SUBJECT THE LEONARDITE SUSPENSION TO THE LIGHT SOURCE FOR AT LEAST 5 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING BETWEEN 4*C. AND THE BOILING POINT OF THE HALOGEN SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON UNTIL SAID LEOANRDITE IS CHLORINATED TO THE DEGREE NECESSARY TO SOLUBILIZE IT IN THE HALOGEN SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON, SEPARATING OUT A SOLID CHLORINATED LEONARDITE FRACTION FROM ITS SUSPENSION IN THE HALOGEN SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON AND THEN RECOVERING THE SOLUBILIZED CHLORINATED LEONARDITE FROMTHE HALOGEN SUBSTITUTED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON.