Production of alkali metals from alkali amalgam

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ALKALI METALS BY AN AMALGAM ELECTROLYSIS, USING AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL COMPRISING AN ANODE PLATE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL UPPER SURFACE AND A CATHODE DISPOSED ABOVE AND SPACED FROM SAID UPPER SURFACE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES: CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING A FLUID ALKALI METAL AMALGAM ONTO SAID UPPER SURFACE TO FORM A MOVING LAYER THEREON; MAINTAINING A FUSED, MIXED SALT, ELECTROLYTIC BATH IN SAID CELL AT A LEVEL AT LEAST AS HIGH AS SAID CATHODE, SAID BATH CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM IODIDE AND SODIUM CYANIDE, THE SODIUM HYDROXIDE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF 40-70% BY WEIGHT, THE SODIUM IODIDE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF LESS THAN 50% BY WEIGHT AND THE SODIUM CYANIDE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF LESS THAN 40% BY WEIGHT, ALL OF SUCH PERCENTAGES BEING IN SUCH PROPORTIONS AS TO BE ENCOMPASSED WITHIN THE 230*C. ISOTHERM OF FIGURE 2 OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING; ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING SAID CATHODE AND SAID LAYER SO THAT SAID LAYER FUNCTIONS AS AN ANODE AND THE ALKALI METAL IS DEPOSITED ON SAID CATHODE; COLLECTING THE ALKALI METAL DEPOSITED ON SAID CATHODE; MELTING THE THUS OBTAINED ALKALI METAL; MIXING METALLIC MAGNESIUM INTO THE MOLTEN ALKALI METAL AT A TEMPERATURE IN EXCESS OF BETWEEN 400*C.; COOLING THE SOLUTION TO A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN 100200*C.; ALLOWING THE MIXTURE TO SETTLE; AND THEN SEPARATING THE PURIFIED ALKALI METAL.