Patent ID: 7098370

Claim:
A process for the production of a mixture of compounds comprising at least one 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- or 6-phenylalkane, said process comprising alkylating benzene in a reaction zone with at least one monolefin being at least two carbon atoms, in the presence of catalytic quantity of a finished catalyst comprising at least one of 12-tungstophosphoric acid or 12-tungstomolybdic acid on a substrate, said substrate consisting essentially of zirconium oxide in an amount equal to at least 50% by weight of the finished catalyst and a minor amount of a binder that is alumina, said alkylating being conducted under a pressure of 1 to 10 MPa, a temperature of 50 to 300° C., an hourly volumetric flow rate of about 0.5 to about 50 h −1 , and a benzene/olefin molar ratio of 1:1 to 20:1.