Manufacture of resorcinol

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RESORCINOL WHEREIN (1) A REACTION MIXTURE DERIVED FROM THE OXIDATION OF META-DIISOPROPYLBENZENE AND CONTAINING META-DIISOPROPYLBENZENE DIHYDROPEROXIDE IS SUBJECTED TO ACID CLEAVAGE TO RPODUCE RESORCINOL AND MATERIAL LESS VOLATILE THAN RESORCINOL, (2) THE MATERIAL LESS VOLATILE THAN RESORCINOL IS HEAT DECOMPOSED WHILE PASSING SUPERHEATED STEAM THROUGH THE MATERIAL, (3) THE ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES OF RESORCINOL AND META-ISOPROPENYL PHENOL SO FORMED AS SIMULTANEOUSLY DISTILLED OFF TO PROVIDE A DISTILLATE COMPOSED OF AN UPPER OIL PHASE CONTAINING META-ISOPROPENYL PHENOL AND SOME RESORCINOL AND A LOWER AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING WATER, RESORCINOL AND SOME META-ISOPROPENYL PHENOL, AND (4) THE RESORCINOL IS RECOVERED FROM THE DISTILLATE, THE IMPROVEMENT OF SEPARATING THE OIL PHASE FROM THE AQUEOUS PHASE OF THE DISTILLATE BY DECANTAATION, INTRODUCING THE AQUEOUS PHASE INTO AN EVAPORATION AND PROVIDING A CLIMBING FILM OF SAID AQUEOUS PHASES ON THE WALL OF THE EVAPORATOR, SUBJECTING SAIDL FILM TO DEHYDRATION AT A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 50 MILLIMETERS AT AN EVAPORATOR WALL TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 170*C. UP TO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AT AN EVAPORAATOR WALL TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 250*C., COLLECTING FROM THE EVAPORATOR AN OVERHEAD FRACTION CONTAINING WATER AND META-ISOPROPENYL PHENOL AND RECOVERING FROM TAHE EVAPORAATOR AN ANHYDROUS RESIDUE FRACTION CONTAINING RESORCINOL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM META-ISOPROPENYL PHENOL.