Purification of secondary butyl alcohol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PURIFYING A CRUDE SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL MIXTURE CONTAINING IMPURITIES LOWER BOILING THAN SAID SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL INCLUDING ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, HYDROCARBONS, AND METHYL ETHYL KETONE, ORGANIC IMPUARITIES HIGHER BOILING THAN BUTYL ALCOHOL INCLUDING SECONDARY BUTYL ETHER AND HAVING A WATER CONTENT OF 15 TO 25 WT PRECENT, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO A DISTILLATION ZONE WHEREIN A SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS EMPLOYED AND WHEREIN A TEMPERATURE OF 96* TO 104*C. IS MAINTAINED AT THE NOTTOM OF SAID ZONE, DISTILLING SAID CRUDE SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL IN FIF-01 THE ABSENCE OF ADDED ENTRAINER TO REMOVE OVERHEAD VAPORS HAVING NORMAL BOILING POINTS IN THE RANGE OF 84* TO 99.5* C. INCLUDING SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL VAPORS IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT PASSING OFF AZEOTROPICALLY, SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE WATER AND SECONDARY BUTYL ETHER, RECOVERING AS BOTTOMS CRUDE ANHYDROUS SECONDARY BUTYL ETHER, RECOVERING AS STANTIALLY FREE OF SECONDARY BUTYL ETHER AND SAID LOWER BOILING IMPURITIES, AND FINALLY FRACTIONATING SAID CRUDE ANHYDROUS SECONDARY BUTYL ALCOHOL TO OBTAIN A SECONDARY BUTYL ACOHOL OF 99+% PURITY.