Phenol recovery

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF A PHENOL FROM A REACTION MIXTURE RESULTING FROM THE DECOMPOSITION OF AN ARALKYL TERTIARY HYDROPEROXIDE AND COMPRISING SAID PHENOL, A KETONE, AN ARYL TERTIARY ALKANOL AND AN ARYL TERTIARY ALKENE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES DISTILLING THE KETONE FROM SAID REACTON MIXTURE, SUBJECTING THE KETONFREE MIXTURE TO DEHYDRATION TO COVERT THE ARYL TERTIARY ALKANOL INTO ADDITIONAL ARYL TERTIARY ALKENE, SEPARATING FROM THE RESULTING REACTION MIXTURE A PHENOL FRACTION AND A PHENOL-CONTAINING ARYL TERIARY ALKENE FRACTION, SUBJECTING THE LAST-NAMED FRACTION TO SELECTIVE HYDROGENATION TO CONVERT THE ARYL TERTIARY ALKENE TO AN ARYL TERTIARY ALKANE WITHOUT HYDROGENATION OF THE PHENOL BY CONTACTING SAID LAST-NAMED FRACTION WITH HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROGENATION CATALYST COMPRISING A GROUP VIII METAL AT A TEMPERATURE OFF ROM ABOUT 20*C. TO ABOUT 75*C. AND AT A PRESSURE OF FROM ABOUT 25 P.S.I.G. TO ABOUT 125 P.S.I.G., FRACTIONATING THE RESULTANT PRODUCTS TO SEPARATE SAID ALKANE FROM THE PHENOL, COMMINGLING THE LAST-MENTIONED PHENOL WITH SAID PHENOL FRACTION AND RECOVERING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE.