Separation of organic oxygenated compounds from hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A PREFERENTIALLY OIL-SOLUBLE ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALCOHOLS, ALDEHYDES, AND KETONES FROM A SOLUTION THEREOF COMPRISING PREDOMINATLY HYDROCARBONS, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE CONTACTING SAID HYDROCARBON SOLUTION WITH A FIRST AQUEOUS EXTRACTANT SOLUTION CONTAINING ABOVE 30 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-SURFACE-ACTIVE SALT OF A PREFERENTIALLY OILSOLUBLE CARBOXYLIC ACID, WITHDRAWING A FIRST AQUEOUS EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING SAID ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUND AND A HYDROCARBON, SEPARATING FROM SAID FIRST AQUEOUS EXTRACT PHASE AN ORGANIC MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SAID ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUND AND SAID HYDROCARBON, CONTACTING SAID ORGANIC MIXTURE WITH A SECOND AQUEOUS EXTRACTANT SOLUTION CONTAINING LESS THAN 30 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-SURFACE-ACTIVE SALT OF A PREFERENTIALLY OILSOLUBLE CARBOXYLIC ACID, WITHDRAWING A SECOND AQUEOUS EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING SAID ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUND IN INCREASED RATIO TO SAID HYDROCARBON, AND SEPARATING SAID ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUND FROM SAID SECOND AQUEOUS EXTRACT PHASE.