Preparation of submicron titanium carbide

Claim 2

The process of claim 1 wherein said hot hydrogen-containing gas has a temperature of from about 1500* C. to 4000* C.

Claim 3

The process of claim 3 wherein said hot hydrogen-containing gas has been heated by a plasma generator.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary gas is hydrogen.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein said hot hydrogen-containing gas has a heat content sufficient to maintain said vapor phase reaction.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein said titanium halide is titanium tetrachloride and said carbon source is 1,1,2-trichloroethane.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said auxiliary gas is introduced with the titanium halide reactant.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein said reactants are introduced separately into the stream of hot hydrogen-containing gas.

Claim 9

The process of claim 10 wherein said auxiliary gas is introduced as a shroud gas for the reactants.

Claim 10

The process of claim 11 wherein said shroud gas is located between the reactants.

Claim 11

The process of claim 1 wherein said auxiliary gas is introduced into the reactor in the vicinity of the principal reaction zone.

Claim 12

The process of claim 1 wherein from 5 to 50 moles of auxiliary gas are introduced into the reaction zone.

Claim 13

In the process of producing titanium carbide by vapor phase reaction of reactants titanium tetrachloride and a volatile source of carbon selected from C1 - C12 hydrocarbons, C1 - C12 halogenated hydrocarbons and mixtures of such compounds, the improvement which comprises establishing a stream of hot hydrogen-containing gas in a reaction zone within a reactor, introducing the reactants and from 1 to 100 moles of auxiliary gas per mole of titanium tetrachloride reactant into the reaction zone, the temperature of the auxiliary gas introduced into said reaction zone being from 15* -200* C, thereby producing in said reaction zone a suspension of titanium carbide particles, removing the titanium carbide suspension from the reaction zone, analyzing the titanium carbide particles for particle size and increasing or decreasing the amount of auxiliary gas introduced into said reaction zone to decrease or increase respectively the size of said titanium carbide particles to maintain the weight average particle size of said titanium carbide particles within a range of from 0.04 to 0.9 microns.