US3865744A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of producing copper and composition therefor
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-03-22
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Granted: 1975-02-11
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Expires: 1992-03-22
Abstract
Abstract Copper is processed via solutions of copper salts, both cupric and cuprous, in acidified aqueous solutions containing organic nitriles. Methods of producting solutions of cuprous salts include reduction of cupric salts and oxidation of copper and copper sulphides. Solutions of cuprous salts are thermally or electrochemically disproportionated to produce copper and solutions of cupric salts.
Inventors
- 👤 Alan James Parker
- 👤 Winfield Earle Waghorne
- 👤 Dion Ewing Giles
- 👤 John Howard Sharp
- 👤 Robert Alexander
- 👤 David Michael Muir
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 22:35
CPC Classifications
C; C25; C25C; C25C1/00; C25C1/12; C01; C01G; C01G3/00; C01G3/10; C22; C22B; C22B15/00; C22B15/0063; C22B15/0065; C22B15/0067; C22B15/0071; C22B15/0073; C22B15/0084; C22B15/0089; C22B15/0093; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
53 words
A COMPOSITION OF MATTER COMPRISING AT LEAST 15% BY VOLUME WATER, AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULPHURIC, SULPHUROUS AND NITRIC ACID, AT LEAST 4% BY VOLUME OF ANN ORGANIC NITRILE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACETONITRILE, ACRYLONITRILE, 2-HYDROXYCYANOETHANE AND MIXTURE THEREOF AND A COPPER SALT OF THE CORRESPONDING ACID.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
53 words
A COMPOSITION OF MATTER COMPRISING AT LEAST 15% BY VOLUME WATER, AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULPHURIC, SULPHUROUS AND NITRIC ACID, AT LEAST 4% BY VOLUME OF ANN ORGANIC NITRILE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACETONITRILE, ACRYLONITRILE, 2-HYDROXYCYANOETHANE AND MIXTURE THEREOF AND A COPPER SALT OF THE CORRESPONDING ACID.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1 which is homogeneous and wherein the acid is sulphuric acid and the copper is cuprous sulphate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
A composition of matter being a homogeneous solution comprising at least 15% by volume water, sufficient sulphuric acid to maintain a pH of 3 or less, cuprous sulphate assaying at least 0.5% by weight cuprous ion and at least 2.5 moles of an organic nitrile selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, 2-hydroxycyanoethane and mixture thereof per mole of cuprous ion in solution.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
A composition of matter being a homogeneous solution comprising at least 15% by volume water, sufficient sulphuric acid to maintain a pH of 3 or less, cuprous sulphate assaying at least 0.5% by weight cuprous ion and at least 2.5 moles of an organic nitrile selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, 2-hydroxycyanoethane and mixture thereof per mole of cuprous ion in solution.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein the proportion of water is at least 50% by volume.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1, which is homogenous and wherein the copper salt is cuprous bissulphite assaying at least 0.5% by weight cuprous ion and the acid is sulphurous acid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1, which is homogeneous and in which the copper salt is cuprous nitrate assaying at least 0.5% by weight cuprous ion and the acid is less than 0.3 Normal nitric acid.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1, which is homogeneous and in which the acid is sulphuric acid and the copper salt is cupric sulphate assaying at least 0.1% by weight Cupric ion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A composition as claimed in claim 7 in which there is at least 0.5% by volume sulphuric acid, at least 0.5% by weight cupric ion as cupric sulphate and at least 20% by volume of said organic nitrile.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
A composition as claimed in claim 8 in which the organic nitrile is present in an amount of at least 35% by volume.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
A composition as claimed in claim 7 which is saturated or near saturated with air or oxygen at the pressure of up to 100 p.s.i.g.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1 which is homogenous in which the acid is less than 0.3 Normal nitric acid and the copper salt is cupric nitrate assaying at least 0.1% by weight cupric ion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1 in which the copper salt is cupric sulphate which is present as a saturated solution containing a suspension of cupric sulphate and the acid is sulphuric acid.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1 in which the organic nitrile is acetonitrile.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
A composition as claimed in claim 1 in which the organic nitrile is 2-hydroxycyanoethane.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of thermal disproportionation comprising preparing a homogeneous solution containing a cuprous salt selected from the group consisting of cuprous sulphate, cuprous bisulphate, cuprous bisulphite, and cuprous nitrate, an acid of the corresponding salt, at least 4% by volume of a volatile organic nitrile, and at least 50% by volume water, distilling the solution in a distillation vessel to remove the nitrile or its azetrope and precipitate copper, and separating the copper from the resulting solution of acidified cupric salt.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of thermal disproportionation comprising preparing a homogeneous solution containing a cuprous salt selected from the group consisting of cuprous sulphate, cuprous bisulphate, cuprous bisulphite, and cuprous nitrate, an acid of the corresponding salt, at least 4% by volume of a volatile organic nitrile, and at least 50% by volume water, distilling the solution in a distillation vessel to remove the nitrile or its azetrope and precipitate copper, and separating the copper from the resulting solution of acidified cupric salt.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method claimed in claim 15 in which the distillation is carried out in a non-oxidising atmosphere.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method claimed in claim 16 in which copper ''''seeds'''' are present in the solution of cuprous salt prior to distillation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method claimed in claim 15 in which the organic nitrile is selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, acrylonitrile, propionitrile and mixtures thereof.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method claimed in claim 18 in which the organic nitrile is acetonitrile.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method claimed in claim 15 in which the distillation is carried out between atmospheric pressure and 1/10 of an atmosphere (76 mm Hg).
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method claimed in claim 15 in which the cuprous salt is cuprous sulphate, the acid is at least 0.5% sulphuric acid by volume and the nitrile is acetonitrile.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method claimed in claim 15 in which the cuprous salt is cuprous bisulphite and the acid is sulphurous acid.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method claimed in claim 15 and further comprising combining the cupric salt solution produced by thermal disproportionation with nitrile containing distillate, treating the combination with a reductant so that the cupric salt solution is reduced to a cuprous salt solution, thermally disproportionating the cupric salt solution, and then repeating the method in a process of cuprous winning.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method claimed in claim 23 in which the reductant is selected from the group consisting of sulphur dioxide, iron, sulphurous acid and soluble salts of sulphurous acid.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
86 words
The method claimed in claim 24 and further comprising combining the cupric salt solution other than the solution obtained from cuprous bisulphite produced by thermal disproportionation with the distillate, treating the combination in a reduction vessel with materials containing copper so that the cupric salt solution is reduced and the copper is oxidized, both to a cuprous salt solution, separating the cuprous salt solution from the solids, thermally disproportionating the separated cuprous salt solution, and then repeating the method in a process of copper powder refining.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3353950A
Cited
US3502551A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-02-10 | 1978-08-12 | 1979-02-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-02-10 | 1982-08-12 | 1983-02-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-02-10 | 1986-08-12 | 1987-02-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |