Production of alkyl benzenes

Claim 1

A TWO-STEP PROCESS FOR CATALYTICALLY PRODUCING HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT ALKYL BENZANES, WHICH COMPRISES FRACTIONATING A CATALYTICALLY CRACKED NAPHTHA TO PRODUCE A FRACTION CONTAINING OLEFINS HAVING AT LEAST SEVEN ADN NOT MORE THAN EIGHTEEN CARBON ATOMS TO THE MOLECULE AND ALKYLATABLE AROMATIC CONSTITUENTS; CONTACTING SAID FRACTION WITH A LIQUID TYPE ALKYLATION CATALYST IN AN ALKYLATION ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS SUCH THAT SAID OLEFINS REACT WITH SAID AROMATICS; SEPARATING EFFLUENT REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID ALKYLATION ZONE INTO A CATALYST PHASE AND A HYDROCARBON PHASE IN A SEPARATION ZONE; INTRODUCING SAID HYDROCARBON PHASE INTO A FRACTIONATION ZONE, REMOVING UNREACTED HYDROCARBONS PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLEFIN-AROMATIC CONTAINING FRACTION; MIXING THE RESULTING HIGH-BOILING ALKYLATE WITH EXCESS BENZENE IN A MIXING ZONE, CONTACTING RESULTING MIXTURE IN A SIDE-CHAIN TRANSFER ZONE WITH A LIQUID TYPE ALKYLATION CATALYST UNDER CONDITIONS TO EFFECT SIDE-CHAIN TRANSFER FROM SAID HIGH-BOILING ALKYLATE MATERIAL TO UNALKYLATED BENZENE; SEPARATING EFFLUENT REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID SIDE-CHAIN TRANSFER ZONE IN A SEPARATING ZONE INTO A CATALYST PHASE AND A HYDROCARBON PHASE AND RECOVERIN GHIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT MONOALKYL BENZENES FROM SAID HYDROCARBON PHASE.