Rare earth metal and silicon alloys

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A GRANYLAR, SUBSTANTIALLY PHOSPHORUS-FREE ALLOYOF RARE EARTH METALS AND SILICON WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A PHOSPHATE-CONTAINING ORE OR RARE EARTH METALS WITH A QUANTITY OF AT LEAST ONE METAL SILICIDE SUFFCIENT TO REDUCE THE RARE EARTH ORE TO THE CORRESPONDING RARE EARTHE METALS AND METAL SILICIDES, TO CONVERT THE PHOSPHATE CONTENT OF THE ORE TO METAL PHOSPHIDES AND TO THEREBY FORM A SLAG, THE PHOSPHATE-CONTAINING RARE EARTH METAL ORE BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURALLY OCCURRING ORES OF THE RARE EARTH METALS CONTAINING AT LEAST ABOUT 0.5% BY WEIGHT P2O5 AND A MIXTURE OF NATURALLY OCCURRING ORES OF THE RARE EARTH METALS AND SUFFICIENT ADDED METAL PHOSPHATES SUCH THAT SAID MIXTURE CONTAINS AT LEAST ABOUT 0.5% BY WEIGHT P2O5, AND SAID METAL SILICIDES BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALINE EARTH METAL SILICIDES AND ALUMINUM SILICIDE, REMOVING THE SLAG FROM THE METAL REGULUS PRODUCED BY THE AFORSAID REACTION BETWEN THE RARE EARTH ORE AND THE METAL SILICIDE, REACTING THE METAL REGULUS WITH WATER TO CONVERT THE PHOSPHIDE CONTENT THEREO TO PHOSPHINE, AND RECOVERING A SUBSTANTIALLY PHOSPHORUS FREE GRANULAR ALLOY PRODUCT COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY AN ALLOY OF RARE EARTH METALS AND SILICON.