Separation of mixtures containing alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING ALCOHOL WITH KETONE COMPONENTS FROM A WIDE-BOILING AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-SOLUBLE C1-C5 ALIPHATIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS COMPRISING ALCOHOL, ALDEHYDE AND KETONE COMPONENTS WHICH BOIL, IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF 15* C. TO 100* C., SAID COMPONENTS BEING DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE BY ORDINARY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION DUE TO THE TENDENCY OF THE ALDEHYDE AND KETONE COMPONENTS TO FORM AZEOTROPES AND TO REACT WITH AN ALCOHOL COMPONENT TO FORM ACETALS AND KETALS WHICH CONSISTS IN INTRODUCING THE AQUEOUS MIXTURE INTO A FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE, MAINTAINING IN THE FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE A PH OF 7.1 TO 11, DISTILLING THE ALCOHOL AND KETONE COMPONENTS WITH AZEOTROPIC AMOUNTS OF WATER OVERHEAD FROM SAID ZONE IN WHICH FRACTIONAL CONDENSATE REFLUX IS FORMED AT BOILING TEMPERATURES OF 68* C. TO 100* C. WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CONVERTING THE ALDEHYDE COMPONENTS TO ALDOLIZATION PRODUCTS AND SUPPRESSING FORMATION OF ACETALS AND KETALS, AND RECOVERING FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE AN OVERHEAD DISTILLATE CONTAINING KETONE AND ALCOHOL COMPONENTS FREE OF ACETALS AND KETALS AND SUBSTANTIALLY LOWERED AMOUNTS OF ALDEHYDE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF SEPARATING ALCOHOL WITH KETONE COMPONENTS FROM A WIDE-BOILING AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-SOLUBLE C1-C5 ALIPHATIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS COMPRISING ALCOHOL, ALDEHYDE AND KETONE COMPONENTS WHICH BOIL, IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS AT TEMPERATURES IN THE RANGE OF 15* C. TO 100* C., SAID COMPONENTS BEING DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE BY ORDINARY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION DUE TO THE TENDENCY OF THE ALDEHYDE AND KETONE COMPONENTS TO FORM AZEOTROPES AND TO REACT WITH AN ALCOHOL COMPONENT TO FORM ACETALS AND KETALS WHICH CONSISTS IN INTRODUCING THE AQUEOUS MIXTURE INTO A FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE, MAINTAINING IN THE FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE A PH OF 7.1 TO 11, DISTILLING THE ALCOHOL AND KETONE COMPONENTS WITH AZEOTROPIC AMOUNTS OF WATER OVERHEAD FROM SAID ZONE IN WHICH FRACTIONAL CONDENSATE REFLUX IS FORMED AT BOILING TEMPERATURES OF 68* C. TO 100* C. WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY CONVERTING THE ALDEHYDE COMPONENTS TO ALDOLIZATION PRODUCTS AND SUPPRESSING FORMATION OF ACETALS AND KETALS, AND RECOVERING FROM THE DISTILLATION ZONE AN OVERHEAD DISTILLATE CONTAINING KETONE AND ALCOHOL COMPONENTS FREE OF ACETALS AND KETALS AND SUBSTANTIALLY LOWERED AMOUNTS OF ALDEHYDE.