Dehydrogenation of alcohols

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS LIQUID PHASE DEHYDROGENATION OF PRIMARY ALCOHOLS TO PRODUCE THE CORRESPONDING ALDEHYDES IN HIGH PURITY AND IN A YIELD IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 60% BY WEIGHT OF THE ALCOHOL EMPLOYED WITHOUT THE SIMULTANEOUS PRODUCTION OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF OTHER PRODUCTS WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY TREATING SAID ALCOHOL IN THE LIQUID PHASE IN A REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 150* TO ABOUT 250* C. AND AT A PRESSURE SO ADJUSTED RELATIVE TO THE BOILING POINT OF SAID ALCOHOL AS TO INSURE OPERATION IN THE LIQUID PHASE, IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOLID DEHYDROGENATION CATALYST, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE PRODUCT OF THIS TREATMENT AS IT IS FORMED FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AS A VAPOR IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF HYDROGEN IMMEDIATELY FRACTIONALLY DISTILLING SAID VAPOR IN A FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE TO RECOVER SAID ALDEHYDE AS OVERHEAD PRODUCT AND REFLUXING TO THE REACTION ZONE THE MATERIAL WHICH HAS LEFT SAID ZONE AS A VAPOR WITH SAID ALDEHYDE.