Method of preparing oil soluble sulfonates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHT COLORED OIL SOLUBLE ALKYL BENZENE SULFONATES SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF OIL INSOLUBLE ALKYL BENZENE SULFONATES FROM A MIXTURE OF ALKYL BENZENES WHICH COMPRISES: SULFONATING SAID MIXTURE OF ALKYL BENZENES WITH A SULFONATING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULFURIC ACID AND OLEUM UNDER SULFONATING CONDITIONS, DILUTING THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE WITH 3 TO 7 PARTS OF WHITE OIL, HAVING A VISCOSITY VARYING FROM 70 TO 170 SSU AT 100*F., PER PART OF SAID MIXTURE OF ALKYL BENZWENES, ALLOWING THE DILUTED REACTION MIXTURE TO SEPARATE INTO TWO LIQUID PHASES, AN UPPER PHASE COMPRISING SAID WHITE OIL HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN OIL SOLUBLE ALKYL BENZENES SULFONIC ACIDS AND UNSULFONATE ALKYL BENZENES AND A LOWER PHASE COMPRISING SPENT SULFURIC ACID, OIL INSOLUBLE ALKYL BENZENE SULFONIC ACIDS AND COLOR PRECURSORS, REMOVING THE LOWER PHASE FROM THE UPPER PHASE WITHIN 24 HOURS, BLOWING THE UPPER PHASE WITH AN INERT GAS TO REMOVE SO2 AND SO3 THEREFROM, TREATING THE UPPER PHASE WITH AN ACTIVATED EARTH TYPE FILTER AID, FILTERING THE UPPER PHASE TO REMOVE SAID FILTER AID, DILUTING THE UPPER PHASE WITH ABOUT ONE PART OF METHANOL PER PART OF ALKYL BENZENES, ALLOWING THE METHANOL DILUTED UPPER PHASE TO SEPARATE INTO TWO LIQUID PHASES, A LOWER PHASE COMPRISING THE METHANOL HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN THE OIL SOLUBLE ALKYL BENZENES SULFONIC ACIDS, AND AN UPPER PHASE COMPRISING SAID WHITE OIL HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN THE UNSULFONATED ALKYL BENZENES, SEPARATING THE PHASES, REMOVING THE METHANOL FROM THE LOWER PHASE TO OBTAIN THEREFROM THE ALKYL BENZENE SULFONIC ACIDS, AND THEN NEUTRALIZING THE ALKYL BENZENE SULFONIC ACIDS.