Process for purification of lithium chloride

• US 4,274,834 A
• Filed: 04/11/1979
• Issued: 06/23/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Foote Mineral Company
• Original Assignee: Foote Mineral Company
• Inventors: Brown, Patrick M., Jacob, Susan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garris, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US06/028,974
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 23/299, 23/302 R, 423/179.5, 423/499, 423/658.5
• US Class Current: 23/302.00R
• CPC Class Codes: C01D 15/04 Halides

Abstract

Lithium chloride containing small amounts of inorganic and/or organic impurities is purified by heating the lithium chloride above about 200° C., cooling the compound to ambient temperatures and extracting it with isopropanol, separating the liquid and solid phases, removing the isopropanol and recovering lithium chloride of high purity.

Claims

1. A process for purifying lithium chloride containing small amounts of impurities such as sodium, potassium, calcium, boron, sulfate and/or organic compounds which comprises heating lithium chloride contaminated with one or more of said impurities to a temperature in the range of from about 270°

to about 325°

C., cooling said lithium chloride to ambient conditions, extracting said lithium chloride with isopropanol, separating the liquid phase from the solid phase, removing said isopropanol from said liquid phase, and recovering a solid lithium chloride product of high purity.

2. The process according to claim 1 in which said lithium chloride is extracted with from about 5 to about 10 parts by weight of isopropanol per part by weight of lithium chloride.

3. The process according to claim 1 in which the isopropanol containing dissolved lithium chloride is passed through a very fine filter to provide a filtrate having a turbidity of less than about 3.