Process for separation of watersoluble chemicals

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF AN ACETAL FROM AN ALCOHOL CONTAINED IN A MIXTURE THEREOF, WHEREIN UNDER ORDINARY EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION WITH WATER SAID ACETAL TENDS TO HYDROLYZE INTO ITS CORRESPONDING ALCOHOL AND ALDEHYDE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OF A FRACTIONATION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY ADDING SUFFICIENT WATER TO SAID ZONE AT A POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE LEVEL AT WHICH SAID MIXTURE WAS INTRODUCED TO MAINTAIN A CONCENTRATION OF WATER WITHIN SAID ZONE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 70 MOLE PERCENT WHILE MAINTAINING THE PH OF THE LIQUIDS IN SAID ZONE AT A MEASURABLE VALUE OF AT LEAST 8, REMOVING OVERHEAD FROM THE FRACTIONATION ZONE AN AQUEOUS DISTILLATE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SAID ACETAL, AND RECOVERING AS A BOTTOMS FRACTION AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF THE ALCOHOL FREE FROM ALDEHYDE, AND IN WHICH THE EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION STEP IS EFFECTED IN THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROLYZABLE ESTER OF SAID ALCOHOL AND THE AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION EMPLOYED IS DERIVED FROM A WATER-SOLUBLE ALKALI METAL COMPOUND, SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION BEING USED IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A CONCENTRATION OF WATER WITHIN THE FRACTIONATION ZONE RANGING FROM ABOUT 75 TO ABOUT 95 MOLE PERCENT WHILE MAINTAINING THE PH OF THE LIQUIDS WITHIN SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE AT A VALUE RANGING FROM ABOUT 8 TO ABOUT 12.