Distillation of oxygenated organic compounds

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF AQUEOUS OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO NORMAL PRIMARY ALCOHOLS, BRANCHED ALCOHOLS AND NEUTRAL NON-ALCOHOLS, BRANCHED ALCOMPOUNDS IN THE C1 TO C5 MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OF A FRACTIONATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY ADDING SUFFICIENT WATER TO THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AT A POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE MIXTURE FEED POINT TO MAINTAIN AN INTERNAL LIQUID REFLUX HAVING A WATER CONTENT IN THE RANGE OF 65 TO 99 MOL PER CENT BELOW THE POINT OF ADDITION OF THE WATER, DISTILLING FROM THE MIXTURE VAPORS OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS WHICH FLOW COUNTERCURRENT TO THE AQUEOUS REFLUX, REMOVING OVERHEAD FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AN AQUEOUS DISTILLATE CONSISTING OF NEUTRAL NONALCOHOLIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND RECOVERING AS BOTTOMS FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONSISTING OF THE NORMAL PRIMARY AND BRANCHED ALCOHOLS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING A MIXTURE OF AQUEOUS OXYGENATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO NORMAL PRIMARY ALCOHOLS, BRANCHED ALCOHOLS AND NEUTRAL NON-ALCOHOLS, BRANCHED ALCOMPOUNDS IN THE C1 TO C5 MOLECULAR WEIGHT RANGE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OF A FRACTIONATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY ADDING SUFFICIENT WATER TO THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AT A POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE MIXTURE FEED POINT TO MAINTAIN AN INTERNAL LIQUID REFLUX HAVING A WATER CONTENT IN THE RANGE OF 65 TO 99 MOL PER CENT BELOW THE POINT OF ADDITION OF THE WATER, DISTILLING FROM THE MIXTURE VAPORS OF THE OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS WHICH FLOW COUNTERCURRENT TO THE AQUEOUS REFLUX, REMOVING OVERHEAD FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AN AQUEOUS DISTILLATE CONSISTING OF NEUTRAL NONALCOHOLIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS AND RECOVERING AS BOTTOMS FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONSISTING OF THE NORMAL PRIMARY AND BRANCHED ALCOHOLS.