Patent ID: 7939693

Claim:
A process for producing sec-butylbenzene, the process comprising: (a) feeding reactants comprising benzene and a C 4 olefin to a distillation column reactor having a plurality of distillation stages dividing said distillation column reactor into a first reaction zone, which contains an alkylation catalyst, and a second distillation zone, which is located below said first reaction zone and which is substantially free of alkylation catalyst, wherein the ratio of the number of distillation stages in said first reaction zone to the number of distillation stages in said second distillation zone is less than 1:1; (b) concurrently in said distillation column reactor: (1) contacting said reactants with said alkylation catalyst in said first reaction zone under conditions such that said C 4 olefin reacts with said benzene to produce sec-butylbenzene; and (2) fractionating said sec-butylbenzene from the unreacted C 4 olefin, whereby said sec-butylbenzene passes as a liquid phase stream from said first reaction zone to said second distillation zone; and (c) withdrawing said liquid phase stream from the distillation column reactor as bottoms.