Patent ID: 6909026

Claim:
A process for alkylating aromatics under at least partial liquid phase conditions which comprises: (i) contacting a feed comprised of an alkylatable aromatic and an alkylating agent with an alkylation catalyst in a reactor maintained under liquid phase alkylating conditions to produce an alkylated aromatic product; (ii) simultaneously contacting said feed and alkylation catalyst with a polar compound in said reactor maintained under said liquid phase alkylating conditions during which catalyst poisons deposited on said alkylation catalyst are desorbed, said catalyst poisons selected from the group consisting of nitrogen compounds, sulfur compounds and oxygen compounds; wherein said alkylation catalyst is selected from the group consisting of MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-49, and MCM-56; and wherein said polar compound is selected from the group consisting of water, carbon monoxide, and formic acid.