Abstract: Purified isopropanol is obtained from a crude reaction mixture by removing high boiling oils with activated carbon, extraction with a high boiling solvent and distillation with energy saving use of distillation vapors to heat successive distillation steps. Recyle of components also improves the overall economics of the process.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are provided for asymmetrically donating an oxygen atom to a pair of electrons to produce an asymmetric product. Specifically, a metal alkoxide is used as a catalyst, where the metal has a coordination number of at least four, and at least one, usually two, of the alkoxide groups bonded to the metal are bonded to asymmetric carbon atoms. The metal catalyst is employed in conjunction with a hydroperoxide and an alkanol having a functionality with a pair of electrons capable of accepting an oxygen atom. The resulting product is enriched in one enantiomer due to the enantioselective introduction of an asymmetric center or an enhanced rate of reaction of one of the enantiomers of a chiral alkanol.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of terminally unsaturated alcohols by the thermal decomposition of a polycarbonate in the presence of titanium containing catalyst.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon is removed from an azeotropic mixture of a hydrocarbon and an alcohol by distillation with anhydrous ammonia.

Abstract: A C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkanol and its corresponding acetate or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkanol and its corresponding propionate are separated by extractive distillation utilizing an aromatic hydrocarbon as the extractive solvent. Transesterification of lower alkanols and lower alkyl acetates or propionates is effected by means of extractive distillation and the preparation of an intermediate ester of a higher boiling alcohol.

Abstract: A process for producing methanol from solid carbonaceous material comprisingproviding a gasifier means and a methanol formation means connected to said gasifier means, said gasifier means comprising a gasification chamber defined by a gasification chamber wall having an upper and a lower portion, an upper chamber wall inlet means for feeding said solid carbonaceous material into said gasification chamber, a lower chamber wall gas injection means for introducing gas into said gasification chamber, andan upper chamber wall gas outlet means, said gas outlet being connected to a gas product conduit,said methanol formation means comprising a methanol formation reactor means, reactor output conduit means, condensor means, and condensor output conduit means, said reactor conduit means being connected to said lower chamber wall gas injection means, said condenser output conduit means being connected to said condenser means and to said methanol formation reactor means,said gas product conduit being connected to said c

Abstract: Alcohol/water mixtures, such as those produced by fermentation of biomass material, are separated by extraction of alcohol with a solvent, comprising a higher aliphatic alcohol in major amount and an aliphatic hydrocarbon in minor amount, especially suited to such extraction and to subsequent removal. The solvent alcohol desirably has a branched chain, or the hydrocarbon an unsaturated bond, or both. Conventional distillation steps to concentrate alcohol and eliminate water are rendered unnecessary at a considerable reduction in heat energy requirement (usually met with fossil fuel). Optional addition of gasoline between the solvent extraction and solvent recovery steps not only aids the latter separation but produces alcohol already denatured for fuel use.

Abstract: An extractive distillation process is provided for the separation of phenol and/or cresol from mixtures with high boiling oxygenated compounds such as alkanols, alkanones, cycloalkanones, cycloalkanols, aryl alcohols, aryl ketones or mixtures thereof that have a boiling point of at least about 175.degree. C. The process involves distilling the phenol and/or cresol-high boiling oxygenated compound mixture in the presence of at least one extractive solvent comprising a substituted phenol and/or substituted cresol that has a boiling point between about 195.degree. C. and about 400.degree. C.

Abstract: A thermally efficient process for recovering ethanol present in dilute aqueous solution is disclosed which comprises contacting said dilute aqueous ethanol solution with at least one inert extractant which is liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, said extractant being selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted and substituted cyclic secondary amines and unsubstituted and substituted aromatic cyclic amines having a distribution coefficient of at least about 0.70 or a separation factor of at least about 1.0.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of ethanol by catalytic hydration of ethylene in which the crude ethanol is separated by distillation in a first column into a bottom stream consisting of aqueous ethanol and a top stream containing diethyl ether and acetaldehyde, the bottom stream is processed further in a second column, the top stream is hydrogenated and then fractionated in a third column together with an impurities containing stream originating from the second column, and optionally the diethyl ether containing top stream of the third column is recycled to the hydration reactor.

Abstract: A process is provided wherein acetaldehyde and methanol are obtained from reaction mixtures which result from the homologization of methanol and which in addition to acetaldehyde essentially contain acetaldehyde dimethylacetal, methanol, methyl acetate and water.

Abstract: In a process for recovering pure methylal from methanol-methylal mixtures, which can optionally contain still further compounds, the separation conducted in a rectification device comprising two rectifying columns. In the first rectifying column, the mixture to be separated is rectified under a pressure lower than that in the second column, into a methylal-rich, methanol-poor distillate, and into a practically methylal-free, methanol-rich sump product. The methylal-rich distillate of the first rectification is then separated in a second rectifying column, operated under a higher pressure than the first rectification column, into a compound stream containing methanol and methylal, which is then recycled to the first rectifying column, and into pure methylal as the sump product.

Abstract: Liquid mixtures containing aliphatic alcohols are separated, by distillation, into a higher-boiling alcohol-containing fraction and a lower-boiling fraction containing the other liquids, by carrying out the fractionation in the presence of water and of an alkanal and, over about 3/4 of the column height, in the presence of a non-volatile or only slightly volatile acid.

Abstract: A process for producing gasoline-ethanol blends comprises purifying dilute ethanol by extractive distillation and concentrating the ethanol by distillation followed by one or both of the following steps: (a) liquid extraction of ethanol into heated gasoline or (b) azeotropic distillation of ethanol with an entrainer followed by blending with gasoline.

Abstract: Method for the use of heat, especially "Waste Heat", from geothermal steam or brines for the manufacture of chemicals such as alcohol, which comprises, according to one embodiment, flashing the brine to produce steam, passing the steam to a turbine for electrical energy generation, and employing the steam from the turbine discharge and/or the flashed brine to provide some or all of the heat requirements for the fermentation-distillation process for production of alcohols, e.g. (methanol and/or ethanol) from agricultural wastes. The method can also be utilized for the production by distillation and/or by industrial fermentation and/or by hydrolysis of other chemicals (such as furfural and acetone).

Abstract: In the hydrolysis of methyl acetate to acetic acid, the improvement comprising a flasher or stripper to separate methyl acetate and water from the hydrolyzer product stream and the recycle of these directly to the hydrolyzer.

Abstract: Alcohol/water mixtures, such as those produced by fermentation of biomass material, are separated by extraction of alcohol with a solvent especially suited to such extraction and to subsequent removal. Conventional distillation steps to concentrate alcohol and eliminate water are rendered unnecessary at a considerable reduction in heat energy requirement (usually met with fossil fuel). Addition of gasoline between the solvent extraction and solvent recovery steps not only aids the latter separation but produces alcohol already denatured for fuel use.

Abstract: Formic acid is produced in a continuous process by hydrolyzing methyl formate with water at high temperature and pressure in the presence of a formic acid catalyst. Methanol is also formed. The reesterification of the reaction products to methyl formate (a reaction favored by high temperatures) is minimized by flashing the reaction product at relatively low pressure and temperature and thereafter distilling the residual liquid under vacuum. This procedure separates the methyl alcohol from the formic acid with a minimum contact time and at a low temperature which does not favor the reesterification reaction. The flashed vapor, primarily unreacted methyl formate, is recycled to the reaction zone. High purity formic acid, i.e., 85%, is obtained by subjecting the bottom from the vacuum distillation to a second distillation step. The distillate from the vacuum distillation is distilled to separate residual methyl formate for recycle from the co-product methyl alcohol.

Abstract: A novel process for purifying an alkaline solution of a lower alkyl alcohol containing as an impurity an alkali metal alkoxide, an alkali metal hydroxide, and water is disclosed. The process comprises treating the alkaline solution of a lower alkyl alcohol with an anhydrous hydrogen halide to react with the alkali metal alkoxide and the alkali metal hydroxide to provide a neutral solution comprised of the lower alkyl alcohol, an alkali metal halide and water. The alkali metal halide is removed from the neutral solution to obtain a substantially salt-free solution comprised of the lower alkyl alcohol and water. A zeolite molecular sieve is contacted with the solution to remove the water and to recover a substantially anhydrous solution of a lower alkyl alcohol. The process produces purified substantially anhydrous alcohol solutions suitable for the use in the production of alkali metal alkoxides such as sodium methoxide without introducing undesired amounts of alkaline impurities into the product.

Abstract: In the cobalt carbonyl-catalyzed carbonylation of methanol to ethanol, acetaldehyde and methyl acetate, a tertiary phosphine oxide is utilized as a stabilizer. Product is distilled from the reaction mixture and the cobalt-containing residue solution is recycled.

Abstract: A unique combination of specially chosen entrainers, e.g., pentanes and cyclohexane, and high-pressure azeotropic distillation conditions, e.g., 100-200 psig., provides an economically efficient separation of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.5 alkyl alcohol, e.g., isopropanol, from its aqueous mixture; and also results in the production of a useable steam having a sufficient pressure, e.g., from 10 psig. to 30 psig. Preferably, said azeotropic distillation is conducted in the substantial absence of oxygen, e.g., less than 1 wppm.

Abstract: A methanol production process including synthesis gas generation, methanol synthesis and methanol distillation includes an autonomous system in which low pressure steam is raised by heat exchange with a fluid stream at 120.degree.-300.degree. C. in the process, the low pressure steam is used as live steam to heat at least distillation column in the distillation section and bottoms water from a distillation column in that section is used as feed to the autonomous steam system.

Abstract: An improvement in a process for the manufacture of 2-ethylhexanol wherein n-butyraldehyde is subjected to aldol condensation, the resultant aldol condensation product is catalytically hydrogenated in a hydrogenation stage and the hydrogenation product is subjected to two separate multiple stage distillations to separate, in the first case the first runnings, a fraction containing the main amount of 2-ethylhexanol, and the residue. In the second case this residue is separated into a 2-ethylhexanol fraction and a distillation residue, the improvement residing in cracking the distillation residue by heating the same at 200 to 250.degree. C whereby to obtain cracked products comprising n-butanal, 2-ethylhexenal, 2-ethylhexanal, and/or 2-ethylhexanol together with non-cracked higher boiling substances. The cracked products are separated from the non-cracked products and the cracked products are recycled to the hydrogenation stage.

Abstract: Covers a method of separating a nonionic surfactant from an anionic surfactant by use of methylal.

Abstract: A process for the production of hypoallergenic lanolin by the reduction of free fatty acids and detergents by the use of a polar aliphatic alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, iso-propanol, acetone and acetic acid.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is a method for the separation and recovery of furfural and organic volatile acids from a vapor mixture obtained in the process of preparation of furfural. According to the method, from a vapor mixture containing water vapor, furfural and organic acids and escaping from a reaction vessel operating on the counter flow principle, wherein the reaction to form furfural takes place, organic acids are separated and recovered before the vapor mixture is condensed and conducted to the furfural concentration process. The separation is performed by absorbing the organic acids from the vapor mixture into the concentrated furfural solution in an absorption tower operating on the counter flow principle and by subsequently separating the furfural and organic acids from each other by means of vacuum distillation.