Separation of water-soluble organic compounds

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR SEPARATING FROM ONE ANOTHER A MIXTURE OF AT LEAST TWO WATER-SOLUBLE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS EACH HAVING AN IONIZATION CONSTANT NOT EXCEEDING 1.4X10-3 AND CAPABLE OF BEING ABSORBED BY AN ION EXCHANGE RESIN AND SUBSEQUENTLY WASHED FROM THE RESIN WITH WATER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES, FEEDING TO A WATER-IMMERSED BED OF AN ION EXCHANGE RESIN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AT LEAST TWO SUCH ORGANIC SOLUTES WHICH ARE NONREACTIVE WITH SAID ION EXCHANGE RESIN AND WHICH SOLUTES ARE SELECTIVELY ABSORBED BY SAID RESIN IN AMOUNTS DIFFERING FROM ONE ANOTHER BY AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST 0.1 BETWEEN THE DISTRIBUTION CONSTANT VALUES DETERMINED FOR AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS CONTAINING, RESPECTIVELY, FROM 2 TO 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, THUS DISPLACING FROM THE BED OF RESIN AN EQUAL VOLUME OF WATER, THEN FEEDING WATER TO THE BED TO DISPLACE A FURTHER AMOUNT OF LIQUID FROM THE BED AND ELUTE THE ABSORBED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM THE RESIN, AND COLLECTING SUCCESSIVE FRACTIONS OF THE DISPLACED EFFLUENT LIQUID, WHEREBY THERE IS OBTAINED A FRACTION OF THE EFFLUENT LIQUID WHICH CONTAINS A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE LEAST READILY ABSORBED ORGANIC COMPOUND AND SUBSEQUENT FRACTIONS EACH CONTAINING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF AN ORGANIC COMPOUND THAT IS MORE READILY ABSORBED BY THE RESIN THAN THE PREVIOUSLY ELUTED ORGANIC SOLUTE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR SEPARATING FROM ONE ANOTHER A MIXTURE OF AT LEAST TWO WATER-SOLUBLE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS EACH HAVING AN IONIZATION CONSTANT NOT EXCEEDING 1.4X10-3 AND CAPABLE OF BEING ABSORBED BY AN ION EXCHANGE RESIN AND SUBSEQUENTLY WASHED FROM THE RESIN WITH WATER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES, FEEDING TO A WATER-IMMERSED BED OF AN ION EXCHANGE RESIN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AT LEAST TWO SUCH ORGANIC SOLUTES WHICH ARE NONREACTIVE WITH SAID ION EXCHANGE RESIN AND WHICH SOLUTES ARE SELECTIVELY ABSORBED BY SAID RESIN IN AMOUNTS DIFFERING FROM ONE ANOTHER BY AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST 0.1 BETWEEN THE DISTRIBUTION CONSTANT VALUES DETERMINED FOR AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS CONTAINING, RESPECTIVELY, FROM 2 TO 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, THUS DISPLACING FROM THE BED OF RESIN AN EQUAL VOLUME OF WATER, THEN FEEDING WATER TO THE BED TO DISPLACE A FURTHER AMOUNT OF LIQUID FROM THE BED AND ELUTE THE ABSORBED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FROM THE RESIN, AND COLLECTING SUCCESSIVE FRACTIONS OF THE DISPLACED EFFLUENT LIQUID, WHEREBY THERE IS OBTAINED A FRACTION OF THE EFFLUENT LIQUID WHICH CONTAINS A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE LEAST READILY ABSORBED ORGANIC COMPOUND AND SUBSEQUENT FRACTIONS EACH CONTAINING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF AN ORGANIC COMPOUND THAT IS MORE READILY ABSORBED BY THE RESIN THAN THE PREVIOUSLY ELUTED ORGANIC SOLUTE.