Distillation of secondary butyl

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION AND RECOVERY OF SECONDARY BUTYL ACETATE FROM A MIXTURE THEREOF WITH MINOR PROPORTIONS OF SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL AND WATER, SAID MIXTURE CONTAINING INSUFFICIENT WATER FORM A TERNARY AZEOTROPE WITH ALL THE ALCOHOL AND ACETATE, WHICH COMPRISES DISTILLING THE MIXTURE IN A FRACTIONATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN THE BOILING POINT OF THE TERNARY AZEOTROPE AND THE BOILING POINT OF THE ACETATE SO AS TO REMOVE FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE A DISTILLATE COMPRISING THE TERNARY AZEOTROPE PLUS ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF SECONDARY BUTYL ACETATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL EXTRACTING THE DISTILLATE WITH WATER TO FORM A RAFFINATE CONSISTING SUBSTANTIALLY OF SECONDARY BUTYL ACETATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL AND AN EXTRACT CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY OF ALL THE SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL FROM THE DISTILLATE, REFLUXING THE RAFFINATE TO A TOP PART OF THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AND REMOVING AS BOTTOMS FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE SECONDARY BUTYL ACETATE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF WATER AND SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL.