A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING ACID CHLORIDES

Chlorination of an acid with a chlorinating agent produces a reation mixture from which the desired acid chloride may be recovered by distillation. In the chlorination and distillation, by-products, polymers and degradation products may be produced which can cause a decrease in the yield of the desired acid chloride. A particular problem arises from the tendency of acid chlorides to degrade and/or polymerize when subjected to excessive temperatures for long periods. An improved process for recovering an acid chloride from a mixture containing the acid consists in distilling the acid chloride from the mixture in the presence of an effective quantity of a distillation improvement additive, Such as an organo polysiloxane or a mineral oil, which remains substantially liquid under the conditions of distillation. In this way the problems referred to are reduced or overcome and increased yields of acid chloride are obtained.