Abstract: Tertiary butyl alcohol contaminated with residual amounts of peroxide contaminants such as tertiary butyl hydroperoxide, ditertiary butyl peroxide, allyl tertiary butyl peroxide, etc., (which may be prepared, for example, by catalytically reacting propylene with tertiary butyl hydroperoxide to form propylene oxide and tertiary butyl alcohol) can be effectively catalytically treated under mild conversion conditions including a temperature of about 100.degree. to about 300.degree. C. with a catalyst comprising ferrous oxide to substantially completely decompose the peroxide contaminants to thereby provide a treated tertiary butyl alcohol product substantially free from contaminating quantities of such peroxides.

Abstract: A method for preparing tertiary butyl alcohol wherein a solution of a tertiary butyl hydroperoxide in tertiary butyl alcohol is charged to a hydroperoxide decomposition reaction zone containing a catalytically effective amount of a hydroperoxide decomposition catalyst consisting essentially of a superconductor such as a superconductor consisting essentially of the oxides of strontium, calcium, copper and bismuth and is brought into contact with the superconductor type catalyst in liquid phase with agitation under hydroperoxide decomposition reaction conditions to convert the tertiary butyl hydroperoxide to decomposition products, principally tertiary butyl alcohol.