Production of cyclohexanome and cyclohexanol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CYCLOHEXANONE AND CYCLOHEXANOL WHICH COMPRISES OXIDIZING CYCLOHEXANE WITH A GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN AND GAS MIXTURES CONTAINING OXYGEN IN THE LIQUID PHASE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 120* AND 170*C. AND A PRESSURE UP TO 10 ATMOSPHERES, CONTACTING THE RESULTING OXIDATION MIXTURE WHICH CONTAINS 30 TO 98% BY WEIGHT OF CYCLOHEXANE WITH A 10 TO 30% AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI HYDROXIDES AND ALKALI CARBONATES AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60* AND 150*C. FOR A PERIOD OF 2 TO 60 MINUTES, SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS PHASE FROM SAID OXIDATION MIXTURE, DISTILLING OFF CYCLOHEXANE FROM SAID OXIDATION MIXTURE UNTIL THE CONTENT THEREOF IS LESS THAN 20% BY WEIGHT, ADDING AN ALKALI COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI HYDROXIDES AND ALKALI CARBONATES TO SAID OXIDATION MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT WHICH CORRESPONDS TO 0.20 TO 0.95 EQUIVALENT OF THE ESTERS CONTAINED IN SAID OXIDATION MIXTURE, HEATING THE OXIDATION MIXTURE TO WHICH THE ALKALI COMPOUND HAS BEEN ADDED AT A TEMPERATURE OF 130* TO 160*C. FOR A PERIOD OF 0.1 TO 10 MINUTES, AND RECOVERING PURE CYCLOHEXANONE AND PURE CYCLOHEXANOL BY DISTILLATION OF SAID OXIDATION MIXTURE WITHOUT PREVIOUS SEPARATION OF SAID ALKALI COMPOUND.