Alkylation of benzene with ethylene in the presence of dimethyldichlorosilane

The kinetics of the alkylation of benzene with ethylene in the presence of dimethyldichlorosilane (DMDCS) are studied and a kinetic equation for this homogeneous irreversible reaction of the second order is created. The circulation of the DMDCS catalyst does not reduce its initial activity in relation to the formation of ethylbenzene and diethylbenzenes. The presence of moisture in the initial C6H6 + C2H4 + DMDCS mixture reduces the catalyst activity. The dehydration of the starting mixture by removal of moisture from benzene was carried out using an azeotropic distillation. A reaction mechanism for the benzene alkylation with ethylene in the presence of DMDCS is formulated based on the generalized quantum-chemical principle and the theory of groups. The participation of DMDCS in the process of hydrocarbon conversion is confirmed experimentally and theoretically for the first time. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.