Use of zinc diphenyl as alkylation inhibitor in ligand-complexing process

In the process for the separation of complexible ligands from a gas feedstream that comprises ethylene, propylene, or mixtures thereof wherein (a) said gas feedstream is contacted with a liquid sorbent that is a solution in an aromatic hydrocarbon or halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon of a bimetallic salt complex having the formula M.sub.I M.sub.II X.sub.n.Aromatic, wherein M.sub.I is a Group I-B metal, M.sub.II is a Group III-A metal, X is halogen, n is the sum of the valences of M.sub.I and M.sub.II, and Aromatic is a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon or halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon having 6 to 12 carbon atoms, thereby forming a reaction mixture that comprises a solution of a complex of the complexible ligand and the bimetallic salt complex in the liquid sorbent, (b) the reaction mixture is separated from the gas feedstream, (c) the ligand is separated from the liquid sorbent in the reaction mixture, and (d) the liquid sorbent is recycled to Step (a), the improvement that comprises incorporating in said liquid sorbent from 0.1 mole percent to 20 mole percent, based on Group I-B metal in the bimetallic salt complex component of the liquid sorbent, of zinc diphenyl, thereby substantially reducing alkylation and other side-reactions and stabilizing said liquid sorbent.