Abstract: Process for obtaining a pure hydrocarbon from a starting material containing the hydrocarbon including performing an extractive distillation of the starting material containing the hydrocarbon in an extractive distillation column using a solvent comprising an N-substituted morpholine having substituents with no more than seven carbon atoms; feeding the sump product of the extractive distillation column into a distillation separator column at an entry point in a center portion of the distillation separator column; distilling off the hydrocarbon from the top of the distillation separator column but advantageously returning a minor portion of it as a reflux; drawing off solvent from the sump of the distillation separator column; feeding the solvent drawn off from the sump of the distillation separator column into an evaporator to form a vapor in the evaporator at the pressure, p.sub.2, the pressure p.sub.2 in the evaporator being lower than the pressure p.sub.