Production of alcohols

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TERTIARY BUTANOL AND SECONDARY BUTANOL WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A MIXTURE OF WATER, ISOBUTENE AND A NORMAL BUTENE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE 160*-220*C. AND PRESSURE OF ABOUT 250 ATMOSPHERES IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY THE BLUE OXIDE OF TUNGSTEN, THE CATALYST BEING PREPARED BY REDUCING A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TUNGSTIC ACID AND AMMONIUM PARATUNGSTATE, THE MOLECULAR WATER TO OLEFINE RATIO BEING IN EXCESS OF 1:1, AND THE OLEFINE FEED RATE BEING AT LEAST 0.5 KG. PER HOUR PER LITER OF CATALYST, SEPARATING TERTIARY BUTANOL FROM THE REACTION PRODUCTS AND CAUSING THE RESIDUAL BUTENE-CONTAINING MIXTURE TO UNDERGO REACTION IN THE PRESENCE OF A SECOND PORTION OF THE SAME CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM 230*-270*C. TO PRODUCE SECONDARY BUTANOL, THE PRESSURE WATER-OLEFINE RATIO, AND OLEFINE FEED RATE IN THE LATTER REACTION CORRESPONDING TO THOSE EMPLOYED IN THE FORMER REACTION.