The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of

Caboi Corporation

Donna D Harbuck

Robert A Hard

Patrick M Brown

Monte B Shirts

Charles F Davidson

G Kyle Green

A process for selectively extracting metal values, including, uranium, thorium, scandium and zirconium, from starting materials which include the metal values. The process is particularly well suited to extracting metal and recovering metal values from tantalum/niobium production process ore residues.

Recovery of metal values

A process for producing substantially oxygen-free titanium carbide, nitride or carbonitride in powder form comprises treating a gas phase reaction mixture of titanium halide, desirably TiCl.sub.4, a reductant vapor, desirably sodium or magnesium, and a reactive gas capable of furnishing carbon, nitrogen or mixtures thereof at the reaction temperature, desirably nitrogen, methane or ammonia, to a temperature in the range from 500.degree. to 1250.degree. C., preferably 800.degree. to 1100.degree. C., whereby the titanium halide is substantially simultaneously reduced and carbided, nitrided or carbonitrided. The process may also be practiced using volatile metal halides of metals such as zironium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum and silicon for forming substantially oxygen-free carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides thereof in powder form.

Production of titanium nitride, carbide, and carbonitride powders

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Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Donna D Harbuck