Solvent extraction of water-immiscible, oil-soluble alcohols with liquid hexanetriol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE LIQUID-LIQUID SELECTIVE EXTRACTION OF OIL-SOLUBLE WATER-IMMISCIBLE ALCOHOLS FROM A 158*C. TO 187*C. FRACTION OF A PRODUCT RESULTING FROM THE HYDROGENATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND CONTAINING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDOCARBONS, OIL-SOLUBLE WATER-IMMISCIBLE CARBONYL COMPOUNDS, AND SAID OIL-SOLUBLE ALCOHOLS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES EXTRACTING SAID FRACTION WITH ABOUT ONE VOLUME OF 1,2,6-HEXANETRIOL PER VOLUME OF SAID FRACTION AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 50*C. WHEREBY OF SAID FRACTION BLE WATER-IMMISCIBLE ALCOHOLS ARE SELECTIVELY OBTAINED IN PREFERENCE TO SAID OIL-SOLUBLE CARBONYL COMPOUNDS IN A LIQUID 1,2,6-HEXANETRIOL EXTRACT PHASE, SEPARATING THE RESULTING LIQUID EXTRACT PHASE FROM THE RESULTING LIQUID RAFFINATE PHASE, DISTILLING THE EXTRACT PHASE TO A TEMPERATURE UP TO AND ABOVE 300*C. AND RECOVERING OIL-SOLUBLE WATER IMMISCIBLE ALCOHOLS FROM THE EXTRACT PHASE IN AN OVERHEAD FRACTION FROM SAID DISTILLING WHILE LEAVING SAID 1,2,6HEXANETRIOL IN A BOTTOMS FRACTION FROM SAID DISTILLING.