Reductive chlorination of activated ores containing high melting metals

Claim 1

AN EXTRACTIVE METALLURGICAL PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING IN CHLORIDE FROM A HIGH MELTING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COLUMBIUM, TANTALUM, TITANIUM, VANADIUM, CHROMIUM, ZIRCONIUM, MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN AND ANTIMONY, AND THAT FORMS A LOW BOILING CHLORIDE, FROM AN ORE CONTAINING SUCH METAL IN A COMPLEX OXYFLUORIDE FORM, THAT IS NONEREFRACTORY TO REDUCTIVE CHLORINATION AND THAT CONTAINS A PREDOMINANT PROPORTION OF GANGUE MATERIALS, COMPRISING ACTIVATING SAID ORE FOR REDUCTIVE CHLORINATION BY INTIMATELY CONTACTING THE ORE IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM WITH OXYGEN AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200*C. TO 500*C., FOR A PERIOD IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO 12 HOURS AND UNTIL THE SUSEPTIBILITY OF THE ORE TO REDUCTIVE CHLORINATION IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED AND THEREAFTER, AS A SECOND STEP, FORMING A VAPOROUS CHLORIDE OF SAID METAL BY REDUCTIVE CHLORINATION OF THE ACTIVATED ORE IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF OXYGEN GAS WITH A VAPOR PHASE REDUCTIVE CHLORINATING AGENT THAT FORMS A NONHYDROGENOUS REDUCING AGENT AT THE CONDITIONS OF THE REACTION, SAID AGENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSGENE, CARBON TETRACHLORIDE, OCTACHLOROPROPANE, HEXACHLOROETHANE, SULFUR MONOCHLORIDE AND SULFUR DICHLORIDE, AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 240* C.TO 450*C. AND SUFFICIENT TO FORM SAID VAPOROUS METAL CHLORIDE AND INSUFFICIENT TO CHLORINATE A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE GANGUE, MATERIALS, REMOVING VAPOR PHASE MATERIALS, INCLUDING SAID VAPOROUS METAL CHLORIDE, FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE AND RECOVERING SAID METAL CHLORIDE THEREFROM.