Selective chlorination with elemental chlorine of ores containing high melting metals

Claim 1

AN EXTRACTIVE METALLURGICAL PROCESS FOR RECOVERING IN CHLORIDE FORM A HIGH MELTING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COLUMBIUM, TANTALUM, TITANIUM, VANADIUM, CHROMIUM, ZIRCONIUM, MOLBDENUM, TUNGSTEN AND ANTIMONY, AND THAT FORMS A LOW BOILING CHLORIDE FROM AN ORE CONTAINING SUCH METAL AND THAT CONTAINS PREDOMINANT PROPORTIONS OF GANGUE MATERIAL, COMRPRISING FORMING A VAPOROUS CHLORIDE OF SAID METAL BY EFFECTING INTIMATE CONTACT BETWEEN ELEMENTAL CHLORINE AND A FLUIDIZED BED OF SAID ORE IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM HAVING ADDED THERETO ABOUT 1 TO 10 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A SULFIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, COBALT, NICKEL, TIN AND LEAD, THAT HAS VARIABLE VALENCD AND THAT IS CAPABLE OF FORMING A CHLORIDE THAT IS NONVOLATILE AT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTION, SAID CHLORINE AND SAID ORE BEING CONTACTED IN A RATIO OF ABOUT 5.5 TO 20 POUNDS OF CHLORINE PER 100 POUNDS OF ORE, SAID CONTACTING BEING EFFECTED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 240*C. TO 450*C. AND THAT IS EFFECTIVE TO FORM A VAPOROUS CHLORIDE OF SAID HIGH MELTING METAL BUT INSUFFICIENT TO CHLORINATE A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE GANFUE MATERIALS, REMOVING VAPOUS CONSTITUENTS FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE AND RECOVERING THE HIGH MELTING CHLORIDE THEREFROM.