Patent ID: 8492603

Claim:
A process for the dimerization of isoolefins, comprising: contacting an isoolefin with a solid catalyst composition passivated with at least one of an ether, an alcohol, and water; recovering a reactor effluent comprising the isoolefin dimers and an aqueous composition; wherein the solid catalyst composition comprises at least one of a solid phosphoric acid catalyst and a resin of a macroporous matrix of polyvinyl aromatic compound crosslinked with a divinyl compound and having thereon from about 3 to 5 milli equivalents of sulfonic acid groups per gram of dry resin; and wherein greater than 65% to less than 100% of sulfonic or phosphoric acid groups in the solid catalyst composition are neutralized with a metal of Al, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, or mixtures thereof, wherein a pH of the recovered aqueous composition is greater than about 5.