NOVELTY - Recovery of propylene, propane and heavier hydrocarbons from natural, refinery and synthetic gas streams involves maintaining the quantities and temperatures of feeds to the contacting device and distillation column to maintain their overheat temperatures.    USE - Recovery of propylene, propane and heavier hydrocarbons from natural, refinery and synthetic gas streams.    ADVANTAGE - C3 recoveries of more than 99% can be maintained while providing essentially complete rejection of C2 components to the residue gas stream. 100% separation of C2 and lighter components from the C3 and heavier components is achieved with reduced energy requirements.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A gas stream containing at least C2 and C3 components is separated into a volatile residue gas fraction containing a major portion of C2 (and lighter) components and a less volatile fraction containing a major portion of the C3 (and heavier) components. The process comprises:    (a) treating the gas stream in cooling and/or phase separation and/or expansion step(s) to partially condense it and provide first vapor stream(s) and C3-containing liquid stream(s) which also contain lighter hydrocarbons; and    (b) directing the liquid stream into a distillation column where it is separated into the relatively less volatile fraction and a second vapor stream containing lighter hydrocarbons.    This process is improved by:    (1) cooling the second vapor stream to condense (part of) it;    (2) contacting (part of) the first vapor stream with the condensed portion in a contacting device operating at a pressure higher than that of the distillation column;    (3) supplying the separated liquids as feed to the distillation column; and    (4) directing (part of) the separated vapors into heat exchange relation with the second vapor stream (to supply part of the cooling of step (1)) and then discharging the separated vapors as volatile residue gas fraction.    An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for apparatus for performing the separation.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure is a flow diagram of a natural gas processing plant.    Heat exchangers (10, 19, 20, 24, 26)    Work expansion machine (13)    Separator/absorber tower (15)    Deethanizer (17)    Reboiler (18)    Compressors (22, 25)    Discharge cooler (23)