Alkylation process
AssigneeOptatech Corporation
InventorsAdriana De Stefanis, Giorgio Perez, Anthony Tomlinson, Christer Bergstrom
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Abstract
This invention concerns an alkylation process. According to the process a side-chain of a substituted aromatic compound is alkylated by reacting the aromatic compound with an alkylating agent in the presence of a catalyst. According to the invention, the catalyst comprises a restructured smectite clay to which basic ions are incorporated by ion-exchange.
Claims23
A process for alkylating or alkenylating a side-chain of a substituted aromatic compound, comprising reacting the substituted aromatic compound with an alkylating or alkenylating agent in the presence of a catalyst, characterized in that the catalyst comprises a restructured smectite clay to which basic ions are incorporated by ion-exchange and wherein the restructuring of the smectite clay is carried out by acid-treating the clay prior to ion-exchange.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ion that is exchanged is selected from the group of alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions and Zn2+ ions.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the smectite clay is selected from the group of saponite, montmorillonite, beidellite, bentonite and mixtures thereof.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the catalyst comprises acid-treated montmorillonite exchanged with Mg2+ ions.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the alkylating or alkenylating agent is an aliphatic unsaturated compound.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substituted aromatic compound is an alkylbenzene.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substituted aromatic compound is p-xylene and the alkylating agent is 1-butene, 2-butene and/or 1,3-butadiene.
The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the process is carried out in a reflux reactor with circulation.
Acid-treated, ion-exchanged restructured clay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.