Alkylation of benzene and dichloromethane to diphenylmethane with acidic ionic liquids

Liquid-phase alkylation of benzene and dichloromethane as alkylating agent to diphenylmethane with acidic ionic liquids such as Et3NHCl–AlCl3, Et3NHCl–FeCl3, Et3NHCl–ZnCl2, Et3NHCl–CuCl2, Et3NHCl–SnCl2 and Et3NHCl–SnCl4 was investigated. The results showed that Et3NHCl–AlCl3 proved to be superior catalytic activity to other five ionic liquids with the conversion of 83.8% and the selectivity of 86.3% at a moderate temperature. Meanwhile, the influence of reaction conditions on the reaction, the reaction kinetics and the usability of the catalyst were explored.