No abstract

Synthesis of diphenylmethane (DPM) from benzene and benzyl chloride with acidic ionic liquids, such as (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-AlCl 3 , (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-ZnCl 2 , (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-FeCl 3 , and (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-CuCl 2 , as catalysts was investigated. The results showed that (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-AlCl 3 is a highly efficient catalyst. Both the yield and the selectivity of DPM reached up to 100% in the presence of (C 2 H 5 ) 3 NHCl-AlCl 3 as catalyst, when the reaction was carried out at ambient conditions.

A novel solid acid was prepared from boric, phosphorous and sulfuric acid by a simple method, and characterized by FT-IR, XRD and TG. Surprisingly, the prepared solid acid is an effective catalyst for the synthesis of bisphenol A from condensation of phenol with acetone. The high conversion of acetone (91.8%) and selectivity of bisphenol A (93.4%) were achieved in the presence of the novel catalyst.

Condensations of benzene or toluene, xylene and paraformaldehyde to diphenylmethane (DPM) or its derivatives were performed using acidic ionic liquids Et 3 NHClAlCl 3 , Et 3 NHCl-FeCl 3, Et 3 NHCl-ZnCl 2 , Et 3 NHCl-CuCl 2 , Et 3 NHCl-CuCl, Et 3 NHCl-SnCl 2 as catalysts. The catalytic activity of Et 3 NHCl-AlCl 3 proved to be superior to that of other catalysts for the condensation of benzene and paraformaldehyde, giving 92.4% conversion of HCHO and 76.1% selectivity to diphenylmethane at 80°C and atmospheric pressure. The effect of various reaction conditions on the reaction and reaction kinetics of DPM synthesis were explored.

A novel solid acid prepared from concentrated sulfuric, boric and phosphoric acid is a highly selective catalyst for the dimerization of α-methylstyrene at room temperature to generate 4-methyl-2,4-diphenyl-1-pentene.