hydroxides which are readily removed by filtration thus ph 39 s within the broad range from about 3 to 12 can be readily utilized a ph range from about 6 to about 10 however is preferred in order to avoid either corrosion problems or introduction of unnecessary amounts of electrolyte which might have an adverse effect either on subsequent coconut acyl isethionate manufacture or the properties of the detergent bars made therefrom another surprising feature of the extraction process is that the three carbon alcohols i e n propanol or isopropanol which are normally miscible with water in all proportions form two phases with the isethionate solutions within the concentration range described above the lower alcohols methanol and ethanol on the other hand which also are miscible with water in all proportions also are miscible with the isethionate solution forming no separate liquid phase in fact ethanol causes extensive precipitation of the sodium isethionate when added to a 56 sodium isethionate solution from the points of view of efficiency and economy i e maximum extraction of the ethylene glycol and maximum recovery of the solvent the three carbon alcohols are preferred with isopropanol most preferred mixtures of the three and or four.