Abstract: A process is described for removing copper and manganese catalysts from an organic phase comprising a saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid containing 5 to 9 carbon atoms by extracting the catalysts with aqueous formic acid.

Abstract: In the purification of the corresponding acid products obtained by oxidizing C.sub.5 to C.sub.9 organic saturated aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of a combination of manganese and copper catalysts soluble in said acids, the liquid acid reaction product is separated from the soluble catalysts by distillation in the presence of a sufficient amount of oxygen to prevent copper from plating out on the distillation equipment.

Abstract: A process for the production of cupric and manganous alkanoates containing from 6 to 9 carbon atoms is described. This process comprises first thermally decomposing a mixture of cupric and manganous oxalates, obtained from the oxidation of C.sub.6 to C.sub.9 aldehydes to the corresponding acids using a mixture of copper and manganese compounds soluble in the acid product as the catalyst, in the presence of an organic saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid containing from 6 to 9 carbon atoms, and in the absence of oxygen, to produce manganous alkanoate and metallic copper. The metallic copper is then oxidized with oxygen to copper in the cupric form, which reacts with the organic saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid present to produce cupric alkanoate. The mixtures of cupric and manganous alkanoates obtained can be used as oxidation catalysts, and in fact may be recycled to the reaction sphere in which the C.sub.6 -C.sub.

Abstract: A process is described for recovering water soluble copper and manganese compounds from an aqueous solution by reacting the copper and manganese compounds with saturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids containing 5 to 9 carbon atoms at elevated temperatures forming cupric and manganous alkanoates containing 5 to 9 carbon atoms, and simultaneously removing the water by distillation in the presence of sufficient oxygen-containing gas to prevent the copper from plating on the distillation equipment, recovering the cupric and manganese alkanoates.