The British Petroleum Company, P.l.c.

John Dixon-Hall

Stephen James Smith

Jeremy B Cooper

A process for removing acetone from an acetone/methyl acetate/methyl iodide mixture utilizing extractive distillation with water being introduced to the distillation zone above the point of introduction of the mixture and acetic acid being introduced at or above the point of introduction of the mixture. In a preferred embodiment the mixture is subjected to an initial extraction with an aqueous extractant to remove most of the methyl iodide. The process is particularly applicable to removing acetone by-product in carbonylation processes for the production of acetic anhydride.

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Hull, United Kingdom

John Dixon-Hall