Sulfoxidation process

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR PRODUCING SULFONIC ACIDS BY REACTING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT CHAIN HYDROCARBONS OF ABOUT 12 TO 24 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE WITH OXYGEN AND SULFUR DIOXIDE IN THE LIQUID PHASE IN A REACTION ZONE AT TEM TURES OF ABOUT 70-150* F. AT PRESSURES OF FROM ABOUT 20 TO 300 P.S.I.G. FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME TO CONVERT ABOUT 5 TO 50% OF THE HYDROCARBON FEED STOCKS INTO REACTION PRODUCTS WHICH INCLUDE PERSULFONIC ACIDS, SAID REACTION BEING INITIATED BY A FREE RADICAL PRODUCING MEANS AND THEREAFTER PROCEEDING QUITE READILY IN THE ABSENCE OF FURTHER INITIATION BY THE CONTINUOUS ADDITIONOF HYDROCARBON FEED,OXYGEN AND SULFURE TO THE PERSULFONIC ACIDCONTAINING REACTION MIXTURE IN THE REACTION ZONE THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES SUPPLYING OXYGEN AND SULFUR DIOXIDE TO THE REACTION ZONE IN A MOLAR RATIO OF FROM ABOUT 1:2 TO ABOUT 1:10, THE AMOUNT OF SULFUR DIOXIDE SUPPLIED BEING MORE THAN THAT STOICHIOMETRICALLY NECESSARY TO SULFOXIDIZE THE HYDROCARBON FEED, WITHDRAWING REACTION MIXTURE FROM THE REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING THE WITHDRAWN REACTION MIXTURE UNDER ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PRESSURE AS IN THE REACTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN EXCESS SULFUR DIOXIDE IN CONTACT WITH THE SULFOXIDIZED FEED, CONTACTING THE WITHDRAWN SULFUR DIOXIDE-CONTAINING REACTION MIXTURE WITH A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF WATER TO REDUCE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE PERSULFONIC ACIDS IN SAID MIXTURE TO SULFONIC ACIDS AND RECOVERING SULFONIC ACIDS OF LIGHT COLOR FROM THE REDUCED REACTION MIXTURE.