Patent ID: 7049450

Claim:
A process for the purification of a crude propene oxide containing methanol and acetaldehyde by a continuously operated extractive distillation in a distillation column having a feeding point for the crude propene oxide, comprising: a. feeding an extraction solvent to the distillation column at a point of said column above the feeding point of the crude propene oxide in an amount effective for lowering the volatility of methanol relative to the volatility of propene oxide, b. feeding a compound containing an unsubstituted NH 2 group and capable of reacting with acetaldehyde under the conditions of distillation to form compounds with a boiling point higher than that of propene oxide to the distillation column at a point above the feeding point of the crude propene oxide or admixing said compounds with the crude propene oxide feed to the distillation column and c. withdrawing a purified propene oxide from the distillation column at a position above feeding points of the extraction solvent and the compound containing an unsubstituted NH 2 group.