Production of metal-carbon compounds

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A METAL CARBIDE COMPRISING: (A) MIXING INCOMING HYDROCARBON GAS CONTAINING IMPURITIES WITH HYDROGEN OBTAINED FROM CONTAINING IMCITED STEPS (I) (B) PASSING THE HYDROGEN-HYDROCARBON GAS MIXTURE INTO A FIRST REACTION ZONE INTO CONTACT WITH A PLATINUM GROUP METAL CATALYST AT REACTION TEMPERATURE, (C) WITHDRAWING PURIFIED HYDROCARBON GAS FROM THE SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, (D) PASSING THE PURIFIED HYDROCARBON GAS INTO CONTACT WITH METAL FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF URANIUM AND METALS OF GROUPS VB AND VIB OF THE PERIODIC TABLE IN A SECOND REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 750*C. TO FORM THE METAL CARBIDE AND GASEOUS BY-PRODUCT INCLUDING HYDROGEN AND UNREACTION HYDROCARBON GAS, (E) WITHDRAWING THE GASEOUS BY-PRODUCTS FROM THE SECOND REACTION ZONE, (F) SEPARATING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE HYDROGEN FROM THE OTHER CONSTITUENT OF THE WITHDRAW GASEOUS BY-PRODUCTS BY SELECTIVE DIFFUSION OF THE HYDROGEN THROUGH THE LATTICE OF A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-PRODUCTS BARRIER OF A MATERIAL THROUGH WHICH HYDROGEN DIFFUSES TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE OTHER GASEOUS CONSTITUENTS THEREOF, (G) WITHDRAWING THE SAID SUBSTANTIALLY PURE HYDROGEN FROM A DIFFUSION SIDE OF SAID BARRIER, (H) BLEEDING OF A MAJOR PORTION OF THE WITHDRAW HYDROGEN, (I) PASSING THE REMAINING HYDROGEN FROM THE DIFFUSION SIDE OF SAID BARRIER INTO ADMIXTURE WITH THE HYDROCARBON GAS RECITED STEP (A).