PURPOSE: To separate a mixture of two or more organic carboxylic acids into the respective carboxylic acid, in high efficiency, by adsorbing the mixture with a polymeric material having pyridine skeleton, and eluting and recovering the individual carboxylic acid with an organic solvent.
CONSTITUTION: A mixture of two or more organic carboxylic acids (preferably two or more acids selected from 1W20C aliphatic carboxylic acids, 7W10C armomatic carboxylic acids, 2W6C hydroxycarboxylic acids, 2W6C ketocarboxylic acids and 2W20C amino acids) is made to contact with a polymeric material having pyridine skeleton, especially a copolymer of vinylpyridine such as 2- vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, etc. and other monomer such as styrene, acrylic acid esters acrylonitrile, etc., and the adsorbed organic carboxylic acids are eluted with an eluent and recovered.
EFFECT: The polymeric material can be used repeatedly, and the process is suitable for the separation of thermally unstable carboxylic acids or those having remarkably different acidities.
NIWA TAKAKAZU
KUROHARA TAKAYUKI
