Boron trifluoride → Bis(1-methylethyl)benzene

Reaction equation

[C:1]1([CH:7]([CH3:9])[CH3:8])[CH:6]=[CH:5][CH:4]=[CH:3][CH:2]=1.[CH2:10]=[CH:11][CH3:12].B(F)(F)F>F>[CH:7]([C:1]1[CH:6]=[CH:5][CH:4]=[CH:3][C:2]=1[CH:11]([CH3:12])[CH3:10])([CH3:9])[CH3:8]

Participants

Procedure

12 g (0.1 mol) cumene is dissolved in 150 ml anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and while keeping the stirred solution at -20° C. to 0° C., 0.05 mol of propylene is introduced and stirring continued for 15 min. The reaction mixture is then saturated with boron trifluoride and stirring continued for another 15 min. After workup, 41% diisopropylbenzene was obtained, comprised of 99.6% of meta and 0.4% para isomer, together with about 15% 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene, which can be recycled under conditions of Example 6 to produce more meta-diisopropylbenzene.