Tetramethyl lead process

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TETRAMETHYL LEAD IN WHICH METHYL CHLORIDE AND SODIUM-LEAD ALLOY ARE REACTED IN A PRESSURE REACTOR, THE REACTOR IS VENTED THEREBY REMOVING UNREACTED METHYL CHLORIDE, THE RESIDUAL REACTION MASS IS STREAM DISTILLED, AND THE DISTILLATE CONTAINING TETRAMETHYL LEAD IS CONDENSED AND COLLECTED IN A RECEIVER WHICH IS VENTED, THE METHOD OF IMPROVING THE YIELD OF TETRAMETHYL LEAD WHICH COMPRISES RECOVERING ADDITIONAL QUANTITIES OF TETRAMETHYL LEAD FROM THE GASES VENTED FROM THE DISTILLATE RECEIVER BY (1) CONTACTING SAID GASES AT A TEMPERATURE OF 20* TO 80* C. AND A PRESSURE OF 0.75 TO 1.25 ATMOSPHERES WITH AN ABSORBENT OIL WHICH (A) DISSOLVES AT LEAST ONE PART OF TETRAMETHYL LEAD PER 100 PARTS OF OIL AT SAID TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, (B) IS CHEMICALLY INERT TO TETRAMETHYL LEAD AND ANY CARRIER GAS, AND (C) HAS A BOILING POINT OF AT LEAST 2000*C., (2) SEPARATING THE TETRAMETHYL LEAD-CONTAINING ABSORBENT OIL FROM THE RESIDUAL GAS STREAM, (3) DISTILLING TETRAMETHYL LEAD FROM THE OIL AT A TEMPERATURE NOT IN EXCESS OF 110*C., AND (4) RECOVERING TETRAMETHYL LEAD FROM THE DISTILLATE.