Process for separating cumene from cumene hydroperoxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING DIALKYLARYLMETHANE FROM DIALKYLARYLMETHYL HYDROPEROXIDE WHICH COMPRISES HEATING A MIXTURE OF SAID COMPOUNDS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT GREATER THAN THE DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE OF SAID HYDROPEROXIDE, COMBINING THE HEATED MIXTURE WITH STEAM. PASSING SAID MIXTURE AND STEAM INTO A SEPARATION ZONE WHEREIN THE MIXTURE IS SEPARATED INTO AN OVERHEAD VAPOROUS FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL DIALKYLARYLMETHANE AND A LIQUID FRACTION CONTAINING A MAJOR AMOUNT OF DIALKYLARLMETHYL HYDROPEROXIDE AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF DIALKYLARYLMETHANE, CONTACTING THE LIQUID FRACTIONS WITH ADDITIONAL STEAM IN A STRIPPING ZONE WHEREBY THE DIALKYLARYLMETHANE IS STRIPPING FROM THE DIALKYLARYLMETHYL HYDROPEROXIDE, PASSING THE STRIPPED DIALKYLARYLMETHANE MATERIAL FROM THE STRIPPED ZONE TO THE AFORESAID SEPARATION ZONE, AND YIELDING THE HYDROPEROXIDE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF DIALKYLARYLMETHANE FROM THE STRIPPING ZONE.