Process for producing sulfonic acids and sulfonates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN OIL SOLUTION OF OIL-SOLUBLE PETROLEUM SULFONIC ACIDS DISSOLVED IN A HIGHLY REFINED LUBRICATING OIL FRACTION, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES INTIMATELY CONTACTING A MINERAL LUBRICATING OIL RAFFINATE FRACTION OF NAPHTHENIC CHARACTER, HAVING A VISCOSITY AT 100* F. OF AT LEAST ABOUT 400 SSU, A VISCOSITY INDES OF FROM ABOUT 30 TO 60, A FLASH POINT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 380* F., AND HAVING BEEN OBGAINED AS RAFFINATE FRACTION FROM A SELECTIVE SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF A NAPTHENIC MINERAL LUBRICATING OIL DISTILLATE FRACTION, WITH 20% TO 50% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE OIL CHARGE, OF 105.5% FUMING SULFURIC ACID, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 75* F. AND 150* F. FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THEREAFTER IMMEDIATELY AND BEFORE THE SEPARATIO OF A SLUDGE PHASE, INTIMATELY MIXING THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE WITH FROM ABOUT 25% TO ABOUT 80% BY WEIGHT OF WATER, BASED ON THE ACID USED, SELECTED TO YIELD A SEPARATED ACID ON THE ACID USED, SELECTED ACIDITY OF FROM ABOUT 50% TO ABOUT 70%, PERMITTING THE RESULTING ADMIXTURE TO STRATIFY WHEREBY ONLY TWO LAYERS ARE FORMED, AN OIL LAYER CONTAINING DISSOLVED OIL-SOLUBLE PETROLEUM SULFONIC ACIDS AND AN ACID SLUDGE LAYER, AND SEPARATING THE LAYERS.