Production of aluminum trichloride

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS OF PREPARING ALUMINUM TRICHLORIDE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF METALLIC ALUMINUM FROM A CHLORINATING AGENT AND METALLIC ALUMINUM IN A REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING METALLIC ALUMINUM OF AT LEAST 99.9 PERCENT PURITY WITH A CHLORINATING AGENT IN A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE 400* F.; REMOVING A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF ALUMINUM TRICHLORIDE AND ALUMINUM MONOCHLORIDE FROM THE PRINCIPAL ZONE OF REACTION, SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE BEING AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 1000*F.; COOLING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE UNTIL METALLIC ALUMINUM FORMS THEREIN; CONTACTING SAID COOLED MIXTURE CONTAINING SAID METALLIC ALUMINUM WITH ADDITIONAL CHLORINATING AGENT AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE SUBLIMATION TEMPERATURE OF ALUMINUM TRICHLORIDE BUT BELOW 1000*F. WHEREBY TO PROVIDE A GASEOUS MIXTURE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF METALLIC ALUMINUM; AND REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE ALUMINUM TRICHLORIDE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE.