Water-soluble petroluem sulfonates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF WATERSOLUBLE HYDROCARBON SULFONATES WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A HYDROCARBON OIL FRACTION BOILING SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN 500* F. AND 800* F. WITH A STRONG SULFONATING AGENT AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO PRODUCE A CRUDE SULFONATION PRODUCT EXTRACTING SAID CRUDE SULFONATION PRODUCT, FIRST SOLVENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE ORGANIC SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF LIQUID AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING 6 TO 9 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, MONOCHLORINATED LIQUID AROMATIC HYDROCARBON HAVING 6 TO 9 CARBON ATOMES PER MOLERCULE, MONOCHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING 1 TO 2 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE TO FORM A FIRST EXTRACT PHASE AND A SLUDGE PHASE, SEPARATING SAID FIRST EXTRACT PHASE FROM SAID SLUDGE PHASE, NEUTRALIZING THE SULFONIC ACIDS IN SAID FIRST EXTRACT PHASE WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A BASICALLY REACTING ALKALI METAL COMPOUND TO FORM A FIRST MIXTURE, SEPARATING SAID FIRST SOLVENT FROM SAID FIRST MIXTURE LEAVING A SECOND MIXTURE, EXTRACTING SAID SECOND MIXTURE WITH A SECOND SOLVENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE LIQUID ALIPHTIC HYDROCARBON HAVING BETWEEN ABOUT 3 AND 10 CARBON ATOMS TO FORM A SECOND EXTRACT PHASE AND AN AQUEOUS PHASE, SEPARATING THE SECOND EXTRACT PHASE FROM THE AQUEOUS PHASE, AND RECOVERING SAID SULFONATE THE AQUEOUS PHASE, AND RECOVERING SAID SULFONATE SALTS FROM THE AQUEOUS PHASE.