E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Patrick R McAllister

Eugene D Wilhoit

Eddie G Mahler

An improved process for recovery of hydrogen cyanide contained in a gaseous mixture is provided which comprises (a) contacting the gaseous mixture with an aqueous solution of an alkali metal carbonate to form an aqueous solution of the alkali metal cyanide and the corresponding bicarbonate, (b) contacting the aqueous solution of (a) with a ketone to produce a cyanohydrin-ketone mixture immiscible in the aqueous solution and a regenerate the alkali metal carbonate, separating the alkali metal carbonate solution and returning it to the gas absorption step (a) and recovering the cyanohydrinketone mixture. Alternately, the cyanohydrin in the cyanohydrin-ketone mixture of step (b) can be decomposed to the corresponding ketone and hydrogen cyanide.

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Victoria, TX, United States of America

Patrick R McAllister