Abstract: A method for the production of isocyanic acid esters (isocyanates) from substituted ureas by thermally decomposing the substituted urea at elevated temperatures while said urea is dissolved in a suitable inert solvent and in the presence of an inert carrier agent to produce the isocyanate and/or amine as overhead products in the vapor phase minimizing the recombination of the isocyanate and the amine and separately recovering the isocyanate and amine.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of glycols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycols, and butylene glycols from an aqueous solution containing a glycol, a dissolved alkali metal borate and osmium compounds comprising coprecipitating the borate and reduced osmium compound from the aqueous solution with water soluble organic solvents, separating the precipitated borate and osmium compound from the solution and recovering the glycol from the remaining water/solvent/glycol solution. The aqueous solutions are derived from the aqueous phase oxidation of an olefin with molecular oxygen in the presence of an octavalent osmium and a borate to prepare the corresponding glycol.