Abstract: Phthalic anhydride of commercially acceptable quality is recovered in high (94-96%) yields from a mixture containing, on a weight basis, from 70 to 90% o-phthalic acid, 1.5 to 21% water, 0.3 up to 13% benzoic acid, 0.2 up to 2% o-toluic acid, 0.2 to 1% 2-carboxybenzaldehyde, 0.1 up to 2% phthalide, from 1.3 up to 10% higher boiling materials, and from 0.05 up to 0.8% bromine by rapid dehydration of o-phthalic acid to its anhydride and rapid evaporation thereof followed by contact of the resulting vapor mixture with a noble metal catalyst to remove bromine and then with an inert reflux liquid in a fractionation zone to remove water and to provide a partial purification of the anhydride, removal of phthalide therefrom by only heating said partially purified anhydride in the presence of a catalytic amount of an alkali metal hydroxide having a molecular weight of at least 56 followed by fractionation of the phthalide-free mixture.

Abstract: A cyclic, fluidized catalytic cracking process providing reduced emissions of noxious effluents in regeneration zone flue gases is operated with homogeneous or non-homogeneous, regenerable, fluidized, solid particles which are circulated throughout the catalytic cracking process cycle and which comprise (1) a molecular sieve-type cracking catalyst, comprising a cracking catalyst matrix containing crystalline aluminosilicate distributed throughout said matrix and (2) a metallic reactant which reacts with sulfur oxides in the regeneration zone.

Abstract: Viscous polybutenes of number average molecular weight (M.sub.n) in the range of about 300 to about 3000 have improved reactivity with intramolecular anhydrides of unsaturated aliphatic dicarboxlyic acids when such polybutenes contain rather small amounts, i.e., 5 to 200 ppm, of halogenated, preferably chlorinated and/or brominated aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons. Preference is given to such halogen containing compounds having a sufficient vapor pressure at a temperature in the range of 100.degree. to 300.degree.C to be substantially completely removed at absolute pressures in the range of 5 to 760 mm Hg.