A process for the recovery of 2-methylbutanal from mixtures of isomeric aldehydes having 5 carbon atoms wherein the mixture is distilled in the presence of formaldehyde and an aldolization catalyst. The 2-methylbutanal obtained is useful as an intermediate for the preparation of various useful compounds, including the corresponding alcohol, amine, and acid.
A method for distilling a crude aldehyde product mixture of branched chain and straight chain aldehyde in a single distillation column to concurrently obtain three separate product streams, i.e. a purified branched chain aldehyde stream and two different purified straight chain aldehyde streams.
In a process for the fractional distillation of a liquid crude aldehyde mixture including straight-chain and branched aldehydes, the product mixture is fractionated in a first distillation column to give a product stream of branched aldehyde, a product stream of straight-chain aldehyde and a further product stream including straight-chain aldehyde and the high boiling constituents. The further product stream is then fractionated in a second distillation column whose packing volume is a factor of from 50 to 200 smaller than that of the first distillation column to give a product stream of straight-chain aldehyde and a high boiler product stream.
