UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. JULES MEURANT, OF LIEGE, BELGIUM. ELECTROLYtic PROCESS. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.694,65s, dated March 4, 1902. Application filed December 11, 1900, Serial No. 39,568, (No specimens.) To all whom it may concern: V nonose, saccharose, , , mycose Be it known that I, JULES MEURANT, a citi or , melibiose, or melitose, Zen of the Kingdom of Belgium, residing at melitriose, melectose, also the following mono Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new acids, the biacids, and the triabasic acids: 55 5 and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Proc the acids arabonic, aposorbinique, trioxy esses; and I do hereby declare the following glutaric, saccharonic, trioxyadipinic, desox to be...a full, clear, and exact description of the alie, oxycitronic, dioxypropantricarbonic, as invention, such as will enable others skilled in also the aldehydes and the ketones, hexava the art to which it appertains to make and use lents-that is to say, the acids mannitic, glu- 6o the same. conic, dextrinic, mannonic, galactonic, &c., Hitherto in the electrolytic precipitation of the saccharic, mucic, isosaccharic acids, &c. metals there have not yet been attained the I add also all the class of gums comprising desiderata of simultaneously realizing and in especially arabine, gum-arabic, the gums of an economical manner the highly-adherent the country obtained from plum-trees, cherry- 65 deposit of metals or of their alloys while trees, apricot-trees, &c., wood-gum, vegetable not absorbing an unduly large electromotive mucilage, anisie bassorin, pectic mathers. I force for the decomposition of the salts. This add also the classes of collagenous and chan double object has been attained by the pres drogenous matters containing ossein, glutine ent invention. These advantages are also or gelatine and all the kinds of glues, as also 7o very happily completed by the fact of being chondrin and chitine. able to constitute the baths at a low price and The following are examples of baths pre by the property possessed by these baths of pared according to my invention, such baths being durable and very resistant to evapora being composed of the materials stated in tion. From all these advantages it is evident. about the proportions given. 75 25 that the above-indicated process is particu First, for the deposit of zinc I employ (a) larly suitable to be largely utilized in indus chlorid of zinc, one. kilogram; (b) carbonate try, enabling beautiful and good products to of soda, two hundred and fifty grams; (c) be manufactured at low and remunerative chlorid of ammonium, five hundred grams; (d) prices. The figures, experiments, and re gum-arabic, three hundred grams. The (d) 8o 30 sults attained, on a large scale, in practical gum - arabic may be replaced by five hun working (quoted below) enable this process dred grams of or seven hundred and to be appreciated at its real industrial value. fifty grams of or molasses. The chlo To attain the above results, the bath con rid of zinc is precipitated by the carbonate of taining the solutions of metals or alloys and soda. Then this precipitate is dissolved in the 85 35 the substances used to favor the electric and chlorid of ammonium and gum-arabic, and it chemical action is completed by the addition is filtered. . of the following substances, which, according Second, for the deposit of tin: (a) proto to the decompositions to be obtained, will be chlorid of tin, one kilogram; (b) caustic pot added to the baths either singly or else mixed ash, five hundred grams; (c) tartaric acid, go together and in various proportions, accord two hundred grams; (d) gum-arabic, one hun ing to the kind of metals or alloys to be ob dred and fifty grams. The protochlorid of tained. These substances are arabit, arabi tin and caustic potash are dissolved together, nose, , rharmose or isodulcite, saccha likewise the tartaric acid and the glim-ara rin, isosaccharin, metasaccharin, mannite, bic. The whole is mixed together and filtered. 95 dulcite, sorbite, or glycerose, or The gum-arabic may be replaced by two hun , , , glucose, galac dred grams of sugar or three hundred grams of glucose or molasses. . tose,methylenitan, pructose, glucoazone,sorbinose, formose,isoglucosamine, acrose, Third, for the deposit of nickel: (a) sul osone, glucosome, glucosamine, the man noses, fate of nickel, five hundred grams; (b) chor Ioo so methylexose, mannoheptose, glucoheptose, rid of ammonium, two hundred and fifty methylheptose, mannoetose, nonose, menno grams; (c) citric acid, fifty grams; (d) gun 2 . 694,858 arabic, five hundred grams. The sulfate judged by the following trials made upon of nickel and the chlorid of ammonium are steel tubes to be used in the Dutch navy. . dissolved together and likewise the citric acid First trial: the crushing of the tube through- 7o and gum-arabic. The whole is mixed to out its entire length, so as to completely flat 5 gether and filtered. If the bath is too acid, ten it; second trial: the flattened tube is again it is necessary to neutralize it. Seven hun taken and folded upon itself in the direction dred and fifty grams of sugar or one thou of its width; third trial: the flattening of a sand grams of glucose may replace the gum ferrule of the tube in the direction of its 75 arabic. length-that is to say, that a ferrule cult in O Fourth, for the deposit of copper: (a) sul the tube is crushed following or in line with fate of copper, three hundred grams; (b) the axis of the cylinder; fourth trial: trial of cyanid of potassium, two hundred grams; (c) the traction of a tube crushed at its two ends ammonia, one hundred grams; (d) gun-ara and held in two jaws. This tube, made of 8o bic, one hundred grams. The sulfate of Swedish steel, has elongated twenty-seven per 5 copper is dissolved in warm water, the am cent. and has shown forty kilograms of ro monia is added to it, the whole is precipi sistance to traction per square millimeter. tated by the cyanid (b) until a deep-brown All these trials, made after galvanization of discoloration has been obtaineu, the gum-ara the articles, have shown the perfect adher- 85 bic is added, and the whole filtered. Onehun ence of the layer of zinc upon steel, neither 2O dred and fifty grams of sugar or two hun the flattening, bending, stretching, or tear dred grams of glucose may replace the gum ing have shown the least alteration of the arabic. protecting layer of zinc. This latter has re Fifth, for the deposit of silver: (a) cyanid mained perfectly adherent. Even upon the go of potassium, five hundred grams; (b) cyanid stretched tube the layer of zinc has followed . 25 of silver, two hundred and fifty grams; (c) the steel in its extension without presenting gun-arabic, two hundred and fifty grams. the least break. All these trials of resist Three hundred and fifty grams of sugar or ance demonstrate in addition that the process four hundred and fifty grams of glucose. does not take away from the resisting prop-95 Two hundred and fifty grams of silver are erties of the steel submitted to the galvaniz 3o dissolved in seven hundred and fifty grams ing process, which is sufficient to distinguishit of nitric acid, the nitrate obtained in four from other electrolytic galvanizing processes. thousand five hundred cubic centimeters of All the articles experimented upon have been distilled water, hydrocyanic acid is poured in addition submitted to special trials to de Iod into this solution until a precipitate is no termine the value of adherence of the zinc 35 longer formed, the precipitate is collected after these severe tests. Even in this case the and washed. A solution of five hundred layer of zinc remains a perfect protection and grams of potassic cyanid in ten liters of water prevents the action of rust. In addition, ex receives the precipitate of cyanid of silver. amination under a magnifying-glass of the Io5 It is dissolved in it by a prolonged boiling articles submitted to tests of resistance has 4o during an hour." Finally, after filtration the not shown any trace of scaling, scratching, two hundred and fifty grams of gum-arabic or lifting. - are added. The above description demonstrates be All these baths and others have been suc yond measure both the novelty and commer O cessively tried in the laboratory and in small cial value of the process. 45 commercial installations. The success of Having now particularly described and as these trials has caused me and my employers certained the nature of my said invention and to make trials on a large scale in a factory spe in what manner the same is to be performed, cially arranged for the purpose. These trials I declare that what I claim is- , have succeeded completely and have shown 1. The process of coating easily-oxidizable II5 50 the practical value of the process. No altera metals with metals less oxidizable and whose tion of the baths has been found after four chlorids are soluble in water, which consists months of uninterrupted trials. in forming an aqueous solution of the chlo The voltage employed has varied according rids of said metals, adding thereto a com to circumstances from 0.3 to one volt without pound of a metal of the alkalies containing 55 ever exceeding this latter figure, with an in oxygen and adding thereto a solution of chlo-. tensity of current from one-half to one am rid of ammonia and a , placing pere per square decimeter of surface covered. in the mixture the body to be coated as cath The constancy of the bath, the non-evap ode with a suitable anode and passing an elec- 125 oration of the bath, the feeble voltage re tric current, substantially as and for the pur 6o quired, the quantity of metal precipitated, pose set forth. one hundred and twenty-five grams of zinc 2. The process of coating easily-oxidizable per square-meter, constitute so many fea metals with metals less oxidizable as zinc and tures which give to the present invention tin, which consists in forming an aqueous so 130 an incontestible commercial value. With lution of the chlorids of said metals, adding 65 regard to the value and perfection of the thereto a compound of a metal of the alkalies products obtained these latter only confirm containing oxygen, adding thereto ammo the excellence of the process, as may be nium chlorid and a solution containing a 694,658 3. sugar and gelatin, placing in the mixture the metals with zinc, which consists in forming a body to be coated as cathode with a suitable solution of a chlorid of zinc, adding thereto anode and passing an electric current of not carbonate of an alkali metal, chlorid of am over one volt, substantially as and for the pur monia and gelatin, placing in said solution pose set forth. w the body to be coated and a suitable electrode 3. The process of coating easily-oxidizable and passing an electric current of not over metals with zinc, which consists in forming a one volt, and a density of not over one am solution of a suitable salt of zinc, precipitat pere per square decimeter, substantially as . ing zinc by means of a suitable carbonate, described. . . . O dissolving the latter by means, of ammonium In testimony that I claim the foregoing as chlorid and adding to the solution gelatin, my invention I have signed my name in pres placing the metallic body to be coated in said ence of two subscribing witnesses. solution with a suitable electrode and pass . JULES MEURANT. ing a current of electricity, substantially as Witnesses: 15 described. w JULES MARIE, HUBERT JosepH MoNCHAMP, 4. The process of coating easily-oxidizable HUBERT FRAINIUX. . . . .