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Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided herein a process for producing a distilled butanediol product of high quality in high yield. The process begins with a crude butynediol solution which is made by an ethynylation reaction between aqueous formaldehyde and acetylene. The crude butynediol solution contains at least a metallic ion, usually sodium, magnesium and/or calcium ion, and an anion, particularly, formate ion, and usually also acetate ion, and often silicic acids and silicic acid salts, as impurities, and unreacted formaldehyde. After substantially stripping the solution of the unreacted formaldehyde, the stripped solution is treated with ion exchange resin, including at least a cation exchange resin to remove one or more of the metallic ions present, and as an anion exchange resin to remove the formate ion, and the acetate ion and silicic acids and silicic acid salts, should they be present in the solution. The deionized butynediol solution then is hydrogenated to form a purified butanediol solution, which is fractionally distilled while maintaining the residue thereof in a fluid state to provide a butanediol product of high quality in high yield.

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First Claim