Preparation of carboxylic acids from oxo alcohol esters

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF BRANCHED CHAIN FATTY ACIDS WHICH COMPRISES FROM AN OLEFIN MIXTURE OXO ALCOHOLS DERIVED FROM AN OLEFIN STREAM CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF BRANCHED CHAIN OLEFINS OF THE C6-C16 RANGE WITH A PART OF THE PREVIOUSLY FORMED FATTY ACIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACIDIC ESTERIFICATION CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 150*-300* F., WHEREBY THERE IS PRODUCED A MIXTURE OF ORGANIC ESTERS PASSING THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF ORGANIC ESTERS TO A CARBOXYLATON ZONE, CARBOXYLATING AND MIXTURE OF ORGANIC ESTERS WITH CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE METALLIC CARBONYL CARBOXYLATION CATALYST AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF 200*-700* F. AND AT SUPERATOMOSPHERIC PRESSURES IN THE RANGE OF 1,000 TO 6,000 P.S.I.G., WHEREBY THE ORGANIC ESTERS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY CARBOXYLATED TO GIVE A MIXTURE CONTAINING ORGANIC ACID ANHYDRIDES, HYDROLYZING THE SAID CARBOXYLATED PRODUCT TO A MIXTURE OF FATTY ACIDS, AND RECOVERING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID FATTY ACIDS FROM THE HYDROLYZED MIXTURE.