Transportation fuels

A composition for fuel or blending component for fuels, which are liquid at ambient conditions, which composition comprises:

• as a predominant component petroleum distillates which contain less than 15 ppm sulfur, and oxygen-containing organic compounds derived from natural petroleum in amounts such that the oxygen content of the fuel is in a range from about 0.2 percent to about 10 percent oxygen, with the proviso that at least 10 percent of the oxygen is contained in aryl oxygenates represented by
• 4
• where R1 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and hydrocarbon radicals containing from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, x is an integer from 1 to 4;
• R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, carbonyl oxygen and organic moieties containing from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, and y is an integer from 1 to 3.

A composition for fuel or blending component of fuels which are liquid at ambient conditions, the composition formed by a process which comprises:

• partitioning by distillation an organic feedstock comprising a mixture of organic compounds derived from natural petroleum, the mixture having a gravity ranging from about 10° API to about 75° API to provide at least one low-boiling organic part consisting of a sulfur-lean, mono-aromatic-rich fraction, and a high-boiling organic part consisting of a sulfur-rich, mono-aromatic-lean fraction;
• contacting a gaseous source of dioxygen with at least a portion of the low-boiling organic part in a liquid reaction medium containing a soluble catalyst system comprising a source of at least one catalyst metal selected from the group consisting of manganese, cobalt, nickel, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, cerium, or mixture thereof, while maintaining the liquid reaction medium substantially free of halogen and/or halogen-containing compounds, to form a mixture of immiscible phases comprising hydrocarbons, oxygenated organic compounds, water of reaction, and acidic co-products;
• separating from the mixture of immiscible phases at least a first organic liquid of low density comprising hydrocarbons, oxygenated organic compounds and acidic co-products and second liquid of high density which contains at least portions of the catalyst metal, water of reaction and acidic co-products;
• and
• contacting all or a portion of the separated organic liquid with a neutralizing agent thereby recovering a low-boiling oxygenated product having a low content of acidic co-products.