Hydrochloric Acid → 2,5-Dimethyldiphenylmethane

Participants

Reaction Steps

63.3 Parts of benzyl chloride at 20° are slowly added during 2 hours to a mixture of 1 part of iron (III) chloride and 531 parts of p-xylene held at a temperature of 115°-120° C. The rate of hydrogen chloride evolution is found to be directly proportional to the rate of benzyl chloride addition. After addition, the mixture is held at 120° C. for 3 hours then filtered to remove insoluble matter, and the unreacted p-xylene (406 parts) removed by atmospheric distillation at 135°-145° C. The residue is distilled under reduced pressure at 2-3 mm Hg and a further fraction of p-xylene (64 parts) is obtained at 30°-40° C. The total recovery of p-xylene is 470 parts (98% recovery). The product, 2,5-dimethyldiphenylmethane is obtained at 126°-134° C.: yield 80 parts (82% of theory). A residue of 10.1 parts of polymer remains after distillation.

Provenance & Evidence