Process for preparing ethers

摘要

In the process for preparing methyl tert.-alkyl ether comprising the steps of (a) contacting and reacting in the liquid phase a reaction mixture formed by combining a stream consisting essentially of C4-C5 hydrocarbons and containing at least some proportion of isoalkylene and a stoichiometric excess of methanol, with respect to the isoalkylene, to form a reaction product comprising methyl tert.-alkyl ether, unreacted methanol and unreacted C4-C5 hydrocarbons; (b) isolating the methyl tert.-alkyl ether from the reaction product; and (c) recovering the unreacted methanol from the residual portion of the reaction product; the improvement which comprises selectively adsorbing the methanol constituent of said residual reaction product in a bed of crystalline molecular sieve adsorbent and recovering same by desorption using as a purge-desorption stream, the C4-C5 hydrocarbon stream used to prepare the initial reaction mixture.