Patent ID: 7594979

Claim:
A process of separating a purified propylene oxide from a propylene oxide reaction product, the process comprising: (a) introducing a reaction product comprising from about 65 to 88 percent propylene oxide, from about 10 to 35 percent methanol, and less than about 0.5 percent water into a bottom section of an extractive distillation zone; (b) introducing water into an intermediate section of said extractive distillation zone; (c) removing from said extractive distillation zone under distillation conditions a bottoms stream comprising propylene oxide, water, and methanol, (d) removing from said extractive distillation zone under distillation conditions, an overhead or side-cut stream, comprising a purified propylene oxide essentially devoid of methanol and water; the extractive distillation conditions being sufficient to maintain a yield loss of propylene oxide of less than about 0.3 mole percent.