5 431 890 5 073 236 5 431 890 and 5 730 843 which are incorporated by reference the solid phase may be particulate material which can be inert or catalytic for example as in the fischer tropsch synthesis which may be fluidized or in a slurry frequently recycling in the system in conducting the present liquid continuous distillation the liquid may be merely materials to be separated by fractional distillation or there may be added at the upper end of the column a liquid which is higher boiling and which is intended to extract one or more components from the vapor in the column and exits as a bottoms the liquid and vapor in the column may be reactive and the reaction product and feed may be separated more efficiently by the present distillation than by the mere stripping action of the gas at less than 50 of jet flood the present distillation is particularly useful to separate mixtures of organic compounds such as hydrocarbons in one embodiment the improvement is used in the production of methanol from synthesis gas carbon monoxide carbon dioxide and hydrogen a by product of the reaction is dimethyl ether dme catalysts which are useful for the reaction co co.