Catalytic purification of unsaturated hydrocarbons

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A NORMALLY GASEOUS ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON IN A HIGH STATE OF PURITY FROM A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A NORMALLY GASEOUS ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON AND AN OLEFIN HAVING THE SAME NUMBER OF CARBON ATOMS TO THE MOLECULE AS SAID ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE IN ADMIXTURE WITH A HALOGEN HAVING AN ATOMIC NUMBER IN THE RANGE OF FROM 17 TO 35 INCLUSIVE IN THE VAPOR PHASE WITH A SOLID HALIDE OF A MEMBER OF THE LEFT-HAND SUB-GROUP OF GROUPS I AND II OF THE PERIODIC TABLE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT -50 TO ABOUT 300*C., SAID HALOGEN BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE STOICHIOMETRICAL AMOUNT REQUIRED TO EFFECT THE ADDITION HALOGENATION OF THE OLEFIN CONTENT OF SAID MIXTURE, THEREBY SELECTIVELY HALOGENATING SAID OLEFIN LEAVING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON UNCHANGED, AND RECOVERING THE ACETYLENIC HYDROCARBON ORGINALLY PRESENT IN SAID MIXTURE FROM THE RESULTING HALOGENATED OLEFIN.