Method for separating water-soluble alcohols and esters

Claim 1

IN AN EXTRACTION PROCESS FOR THE SEPERATION OF A MIXTURE OF METHANOL AND METHYL ACETATE, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE ADDING AT LEAST 50% BY VOLUME OF WATER TO A MIXTURE OF METHANOL AND METHYL ACETATE, EXTRACTING THE AQUEOUS MIXTURE THEREBY FORMED WITH A LOW-BOILING, WATER-INSOLUBLE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON WHOSE BOILING POINT IS BELOW THAT OF THE METHYL ACETATE AND WHICH ALSO FORMS A LOW-BOILING TERNARY AZEOTROPE WITH WATER AND METHANOL AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHYLENE CHLORIDE AND VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE, SEPARATING THE RESULTING AQUEOUS AND NON-AQUEOUS LAYERS, SUBJECTING THE NON-AQUEOUS LAYER TO DISTILLATION WHEREBY METHANOLFREE METHYL ACETATE REMAINS AS THE STILL RESIDUE, AND SEPARATELY DISTILLING THE AQUEOUS LAYER WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS METHANOL IS OBTAINED AS THE DISTILLATE, THE VOLUMETRIC RATIO OF TOTAL WATER: HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON-METHANOL-METHYL ACETATE EMPLOYED IN CARRYING OUT SAID SEPARATION BEING 0.75:1:1.