Separation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF A LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON FROM A MIXTURE CONTAINING IT AND A MORE SATURATED HYDROCARBON HAVING APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MOELCULAR WEIGHT WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID MIXTURE IN GASEOUS FORM AND AT ELEVATED PRESSURES THROUGH AN ABSORPTION ZONE CONTAINING A BED OF A SOLID CUPROUS HALIDE COMPLEXING AGENT UNDER A PARTIAL PRESSURE OF SAID UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE THE FORMATION OF A COMPLEX BETWEEN SAID UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON AND SAID SOLID COMAPLEXING AGENT FOR 10 TO 200 SECONDS WHEREBY SAID COMPLEX IS FORMED, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING FROM SAID ZONE A GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING A REDUCED AMOUNT OF SAID UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON, STOPPING THE FLOW OF SAID MIXTURE TO SAID ZONE AND PURGING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE GASES CONTAINED THEREIN BY REDUCING THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ZONE FOR A TIME INSUFFICIENT TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIAL DISSOCIATION OF THE COMPLEX FORMED, SUBSEQUENTLY MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ZONE BELOW THE DISSOCIATION PRESSURE OF SAID COMPLEX FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO DISOCIATE AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID COMPLEX, RECOVERING FROM SAID ZONE SAID UNSATURATED HYDROCARBON HAVING RELATIVELY HIGH PURITY AND RESUMING THE PASSAGE OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID ZONE AT ACTIVE ABSORPTION AND COMPLEX FORMATION CONDITIONS.