Recovery of organic oxygenated compounds

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING ORGANIC OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS PRODUCED IN THE CATALYTIC HYDROGENATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE, WHICH OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS COMPRISE ALCOHOLS, KETONES ALDEHYDES, ESTERS AND FREE ACIDS, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE NEUTRALIZING THE FREE ACIDS PRESENT IN THE MIXTURE BY ADDING ALKALI THERETO IN AMOUNT TO FORM A NEUTRAL MIXTURE, CATALYTICALLY HYDROGENATING THIS NEUTRAL MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A METALLIC CATALYST TO CONVERT THE KETONES AND ALDEHYDES TO THE CORRESPONDING ALCOHOLS, THEREAFTER SAPONIFYING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE TO CONVERT THE ESTERS TO THE CORRESPONDING ALCOHOLS AND ACID SALTS AND DISTILLING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO SEPARATE THE ALCOHOLS THEREFROM.