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US3234114A - Process for the recovery of purified sodium - Google Patents

Process for the recovery of purified sodium Download PDF

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Publication number
US3234114A
US3234114A US208664A US20866462A US3234114A US 3234114 A US3234114 A US 3234114A US 208664 A US208664 A US 208664A US 20866462 A US20866462 A US 20866462A US 3234114 A US3234114 A US 3234114A
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Prior art keywords
sodium
electrolyte
aluminum
mixture
cathode
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US208664A
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English (en)
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Ziegler Karl
Lehmkuhl Herbert
Grimme Wolfram
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    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25CPROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25C1/00Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions
    • C25C1/02Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions of light metals
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25CPROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25C3/00Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of melts
    • C25C3/02Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of melts of alkali or alkaline earth metals

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a process for the recovery of purified sodium.
  • German Patent No. 1,114,330 discloses a process in which metallic sodium is produced electrolytically with the use of electrolytes of the general formula MeAlR R'.
  • Me is sodium or a mixture of sodium and potassium
  • R is an alkyl radical
  • R is hydrogen
  • Readily available and particularly recommended electrolytes for this process are sodium-aluminum tetraethyl alone or in mixture with potassium-aluminum tetraethyl, preferably further modified by addition of a small amount of a sodium or potassium-alkoxy aluminum triethyl.
  • anodes which contain sodium metal and cathodes, which are inert to the sodium metal deposited at the cathode. Due to the electrolysis process, sodium metal is dissolved out of the anode material, migrates through the electrolyte and is precipitated as purified metal at the cathode and may be withdrawn at the cathode.
  • the temperatures used in this process are preferably elevated sufficiently that the sodium metal is present in liquid form at the cathode and may be withdrawn from the cell in this form.
  • the substantial-1y most important application of this electrolytic recovery of sodium is the separation of sodium metal from sodium amalgam which is used as the anode material or for the electrolytic refining of raw sodium to form a particularly pure product.
  • the patent mentioned above gives several teachings for the practical performance of such an electrolysis. It is particularly important in practice that the sodium is precipitated in molten form and as a continuous layer at the cathode which consists of a suit-able other metal, e.g. copper. A favorable course of sodium precipitation is established in most cases by electrolyzing for some time on a bright copper plate serving as the cathode. The individual droplets initially precipitated run together to form a continuous sodium film in which the sodium flows down at the cathodes which are preferably vertical or at least inclined.
  • a special trick taught by the patent men- 'tioned above is to provide a fabric of insulating mate-rial, e.g.
  • electrolytic cells of this type have to meet high requirements with respect to the useful service life.
  • the profitableness of the process largely depends on :how often trouble, e.g. by inner short circuits, must be expected.
  • the cells must be disassembled completely, the electrolyte and the cathodes must be pun'fied, and it may even be necessary to fill in a fresh electrolyte. Only then the cell will again operate satisfactorily.
  • the electrolyte is very sensitive to air, it is obvious that such restoration involves rather disagreeable and costly operations.
  • the individual filament of the net of a net cathode is a thread spun from many fibrillae having corresponding capillary interstices which become completely saturated or soaked with electrolyte.
  • the portions of electrolyte which are bound in these interstices and subjected to the direct electrolytic decomposition mix only diificultl y with further portions of the electrolyte bath. Thus, it appears that this may involve a serious cause of undesirable troubles.
  • the invention consists in the finding that cells for the electrolytic recovery of sodium from an anode material which contains sodium metal, e.g. from sodium amalgam or raw sodium, can be operated for many months without any trouble when using a mixture of sodium-aluminum tetraethyl and sodium-aluminum tetramethyl as the electrolyte.
  • the mole ratio of the components of this mixture is preferably about 1:1 but may deviate to both sides by a certain amount.
  • the limits are at 30 to mole percent NaAl(CH ).A and 70 to 25 mole percent of NaAl C2H5) 4.
  • the conductivity of an exactly equimolar mixture of the two complex compounds at 130 C. is 10 10 ohms cmf i.e. the conductivity is very good.
  • the mixture of sodium-aluminum tetramethyl and sodium-aluminum tetraethyl melts at very low temperatures with the unusually low eutectic of 83 C. leading to completely liquid electrolyte mixtures already at temperatures in the neighborhood of C.
  • the figure is a plot of melting points for mixtures of NaAlEL and NaAl(CH
  • the. electrolytes are preferably mixed with a small amount of the corresponding sodiumalkoxy aluminum trialkyl'compound. A few percent are sufficient so that the conductivity is reduced to an unimportant extent only. This measure reliably protects the cathodically deposited sodium from co-deposition of aluminum.
  • the alkoxy triethyl ortrirnethyl compound may be added most conveniently. by adding a corresponding amount of any alcoholto the. mixture .of the two tetraalkyl complexes.
  • the temperatures to be maintained during el ctrolysis must range above the melting point of sodium. Most preferred are temperatures: between about 100 and 120 C., but temperatures up to about 160 C. may be used.
  • i.e. sodium-aluminum tetramethyl may, for example, be
  • mixture according to the invention comprising sodiumaluminum te'traethyl and sodium-aluminum;tetrarnethyl in a mole ratio of.4: 3..
  • the reaction mixture isprocessed in a manner analogous'to that described in Example 5.;
  • the contents of the autoclave, while still liquid, i.e. at a temperature above 90 C., are siphoned into a dry 2 liter flask filled with an inert gas.
  • the reaction product is a liquid system comprising two phases.
  • the upper layer is paraflin oil which is substantially free from organometallic compounds and siphoned oil from the lower phase.
  • the lower layer is a mixture of NaAl(CH and NaAl (C H in a mole ratio of 1:1 which solidifies at 80 C. with formation of crystals. The yield of this mixture is 650 gms. (95% of the theoretical).
  • EXAMPLE 8 Into a 10 liter vessel with stirrer, there are placed a suspension of 1 kg. aluminum grit and a mixture of AlEt Cl and AlMe Cl in a molar ratio of 1:1 in amount sufficient that the mixture is still well stirrable. The reaction vessel is heated to 1051l5 C. and an equimolar mixture of ethyl chloride and methyl chloride in liquid form (from an inverted stock bottle) is introduced through a capillary extending down to the bottom of the vessel. It is also possible to introduce ethyl chloride and methyl chloride in equal amounts separately through two capillaries. The addition of the alkyl halides is effected at a rate suflicient that the temperature is maintained between 105 C. and 115 C.
  • Alkyl chloride in amount of between 350 and 7 grams is taken up within one hour. 3 kgs. of the mixture of alkyl halides and all of the aluminum charged are reacted within about 6 hours.
  • the conversion of the resultant mixture of methyl and ethyl aluminum sesquichlorides into Al(CH Cl and Al(C H Cl or Al(CH (C H )Ol is effected as follows: 425 gms. of sodium are molten in a second liter reaction vessel.
  • the reaction mixture of the alkyl aluminum sesquichloridex is allowed to drop onto the sodium at about 110 C. While stirring. After all of the mixture has been added, stirring is continued for about 30 minutes. Following this, the resultant is distilled oil from the sodium chloride and aluminum at a bath temperature which must be increased to 200 C. towards the end of the distillation.
  • the complex mixture NaA-l(CI-l NaAl(C H is prepared in a manner analogous to that of Example 1 by allowing the reaction mixture having the composition Al(CH )(C H )Cl and obtained in Example 8 to drop onto the corresponding amount of molten sodium. There is obtained the 1:1 molar mixture NaAl (CI-1 NaAl(C H in a good yield.
  • the electrolytic cell used consists of a cylindrical and internally enamelled steel kettle which contains at the bottom raw sodium to be refined as a melt. Suspended in the kettle is a cylinder of enamelled sheet steel of somewhat smaller diameter, which is open at both ends and has horizontally tightened across the lower opening a wide-meshed glass fiber fabric having a mesh size of 1 to 3 mm. The net is arranged at a distance of 3 to 5 mm. above the surface of the liquid sodium. Arranged closely above the net is a net of copper or iron wire as the cathode.
  • the electrolysis temperature is 150 C.
  • a mixture of sodium-aluminum tetraethyl and tetramethyl in a 1:2 molar ratio is used as the electrolyte.
  • the level of the molten electrolyte must be above the upper edge of the suspended cylinder, so that the sodium deposited at the cathode is surrounded by the electrolyte from above and below.
  • An electrode current density of 20 a./dm. can be maintained at a terminal voltage of 1.1 v.
  • the cathodically formed sodium collects above the glass fiber net and may be drained from this space from time to time. Care is taken by the addition of raw sodium during the electrolysis that the distance between the anode and cathode is kept constant.
  • test runs were operated for more than six months.
  • test runs effected with electrolytes containing only ethyl groups had to be discontinued after 3 to 4 weeks due to troubles in the sodium deposition.
  • the same difierence is suitability of the electrolyte systems was also found in test runs which were elfected for an extended period of time with the use of sodium amalgam as the anode (see Example 10 below).
  • the yield of sodium is 23 grams per 26.8 ampereshours, and 23 grams of Na were dissolved anodic-ally by the same amount of current.
  • the yield is EXAMPLE 10
  • the procedure is the same as that described in Example 9, except that the same volume of 1% sodium is substituted for the molten raw sodium.
  • Electrolysis is effected at C. with a current density of 30 -a./dm. at a terminal voltage of 1.7 v.
  • the sodium deposited at the cathode collects as a continuous liquid layer above the net of glass fiber fabric.
  • a greater electrolyte stock is recirculated through the electrolytic cell while maintaining the liquid in the electrolytic cell at a constant level.
  • EXAMPLE 11 The procedure is the same as that described in Example 10 except that an electrolyte mixture of NaAl(C H and NaAl(CH in a 1:1 molar ratio is used. A terminal voltage of about 1.5 to 1.7 v. is required at a current density of 20 a./dm.
  • a process for the recovery of purified sodium which comprises passing an electrolysis current between a cathode and an anode through an electrolyte containing a mixture of sodium aluminum tetramethyl and sodium aluminum tetraethyl, said anode being a sodium metal containing electrode and said cathode being inert to the cathodically deposited sodium, to electrolyze sodium from the anode and deposit sodium at the cathode, the sodium electrolyzed at the anode replacing in the electrolyte sodium deposited at the cathode, and recovering the purified sodium so formed.
  • said electrolyte comprises from 30 to 75 mole percent of NaAl(CH and from 70 to 25 mole percent of NaAl(C H 3.
  • said electrolyte comprises about equivalent amount of NaAl(CH and NaAl(C H 4.
  • said electrolyte additionally contains small amounts of a corresponding alkoxy complex compound.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
US208664A 1961-06-30 1962-06-27 Process for the recovery of purified sodium Expired - Lifetime US3234114A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEZ8838A DE1146258B (de) 1961-06-30 1961-06-30 Metallorganischer Elektrolyt hoher Leitfaehigkeit zur kathodischen Abscheidung von Natrium

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3775270A (en) * 1970-01-14 1973-11-27 K Ziegler Process for the electrolytic refining of potassium
WO2002088434A1 (en) * 2001-04-30 2002-11-07 Alumiplate Incorporated Aluminium electroplating formulations
EP1371653A1 (de) * 2002-06-13 2003-12-17 Crompton GmbH Verfahren zur Herstellung von Alkalitetraalkylaluminaten und deren Verwendung
US20040140220A1 (en) * 2002-04-30 2004-07-22 Fischer Juergen K S Aluminium electroplating formulations
EP1518946A1 (de) * 2003-09-27 2005-03-30 Aluminal Oberflächtentechnik GmbH & Co. KG Electrolyt zur galvanischen Abscheidung von Aluminium

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2849349A (en) * 1955-06-13 1958-08-26 Ziegler Process for the electrolytic deposition of aluminium
US2952589A (en) * 1956-04-09 1960-09-13 Karl Ziegler Purification of aluminum
GB864393A (en) * 1958-02-13 1961-04-06 Ziegler Karl Process for the production of lead tetraalkyls
US2985568A (en) * 1954-11-26 1961-05-23 Ziegler Electrolytic process for the production of metal alkyls
US3028323A (en) * 1959-12-24 1962-04-03 Ethyl Corp Manufacture of organolead products

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2985568A (en) * 1954-11-26 1961-05-23 Ziegler Electrolytic process for the production of metal alkyls
US2849349A (en) * 1955-06-13 1958-08-26 Ziegler Process for the electrolytic deposition of aluminium
US2952589A (en) * 1956-04-09 1960-09-13 Karl Ziegler Purification of aluminum
GB864393A (en) * 1958-02-13 1961-04-06 Ziegler Karl Process for the production of lead tetraalkyls
US3028323A (en) * 1959-12-24 1962-04-03 Ethyl Corp Manufacture of organolead products

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3775270A (en) * 1970-01-14 1973-11-27 K Ziegler Process for the electrolytic refining of potassium
WO2002088434A1 (en) * 2001-04-30 2002-11-07 Alumiplate Incorporated Aluminium electroplating formulations
US20040140220A1 (en) * 2002-04-30 2004-07-22 Fischer Juergen K S Aluminium electroplating formulations
US7250102B2 (en) 2002-04-30 2007-07-31 Alumiplate Incorporated Aluminium electroplating formulations
EP1371653A1 (de) * 2002-06-13 2003-12-17 Crompton GmbH Verfahren zur Herstellung von Alkalitetraalkylaluminaten und deren Verwendung
EP1518946A1 (de) * 2003-09-27 2005-03-30 Aluminal Oberflächtentechnik GmbH & Co. KG Electrolyt zur galvanischen Abscheidung von Aluminium
WO2005059207A1 (de) * 2003-09-27 2005-06-30 Aluminal Oberflächentechnik Gmbh & Co. Kg Elektrolyt zur galvanischen abscheidung von aluminium

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GB961373A (en) 1964-06-17
DE1146258B (de) 1963-03-28

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