Process for the production of alpha-epichlorhydrin

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF ALPHAEPICHLORHYDRIN BY THE REACTION OF A BASIC SUBSTANCE WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A BASIC GYLCEROL-DICHLORHYDRIN, WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A REACTION-EXTRACTION ZONE HAVING A FIRST END AND AN OPPOSITE SECOND END, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID GLYCEROL-DICHLORHYDRIN AT SAID FIRST END OF SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING AT LEASE A PORTION OF A BASIC SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROXIIDES AND CARBONATES OF METALS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METALS AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM INTO SAID FIRST END OF SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID SECOND END OF ZONE A SOLVENT FOR SAID ALPHAEPICHLORHYDRIN WHICH IS WATER-IMMISCIBLE AND WHICH IS INERT WITH RESPECT TO SAID GLYCEROL-DICHLORHYDRIN, SAID BASIC SUBSTANCE AND SAID ALPHA-EPICHLORHYDRIN, AND CAUSING SAID WATER-IMMISCIBLE SOLVENT TO FLOW CONTINUOUSLY COUNTERCURRENTLY TO SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF GLYCEROL-DICHLORHYDRIN AND SAID AQUEOUS BASIC SUBSTANCE THROUGHOUT SAID ZONE, WHEREBY THE ALPHA-EPICHLORHYDRIN IS DISSLOVED IN SAID SOLVENT IMMEDIATLEY UPON BEING FORMED AND IS REMOVED FROM CONTACT WITH SAID ALKAINE SUBSTANCES WHICH IS RETAINED IN THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM WITH WHICH SAID SOLVENT IN IMMISCIBLE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING AND SAID WATER-IMMISCIBLE SOLVENT FROM SAID FIRST END OF SAID ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINED IN SAID ZONE FROM SAID SECOND END OF THAT ZONE, SEPARATING THE EPICHLORHYDRIN FROM SAID SOLVENT BY VAPORIZATION EXTERIORLY OF SAID REACTION-EXTRACTION ZONE AND RECYCLING SAID SOLVENT SEPERATED FROM SAID EPICHLORHYDRUN TO SAID SECOND END OF SAID ZONE FOR REPEATED PASSAGE FROM SAID SECOND END TO SAID FIRST END OF SAID ZONE.