Process for the continuous preparation of benzyl chloride

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PREPARIG BENZYL CHLORIDE IN HIGH YIELD, THE STEPS COMPRISING CHLOROMETHYLATING BENZENE TO FORM BENZYL CHLORIDE IN A REACTION VESSEL BY PASSING GASEOUS HYDROGEN CHLORIDE INTO AN AQUEOUS REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING BENZENE AND SUBSTANTIALLY METHANOL-FREE AQUEOUS FORMALDEHYDE IN THE PRESENCE OF ZINC CHLORIDE, THE INITIAL MOLAR RATIO OF WATER TO ZINC CHLORIDE IN THE REACTION MIXTURE BEING BETWEEN 3.5 TO 4.5:1, COOLING THE MIXTURE, REMOVING THE UPPER LAYER OF THE MIXTURE CONTAINING BENZYL CHLORIDE WHILE ALLOWING THE CATALYST-CONTAINING AQUEOUS LOWER LAYER TO REMAIN THE REACTION VESSEL, SEPARATING BENZYL CHLORIDE FROM THE REMOVED UPPER LAYER, REGENERATING THE CATALYST IN THE AQUEOUS LOWER LAYER REMAINING IN THE REACTION VESSEL BY ADDING BENZENE TO THE LAYER FOLLOWED BY SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY DEHYDRATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE BY AZEOTROPIC DISTILLATION AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 100*C., ADDING BENZENE, WATER AND SUCH AN ALDEHYDE TO THE REGENERATED CATALYST IN THE REACTION VESSEL, THE MOLAR RATIO OF WATER OF ZINC CHLORIDE IN THE REACTION MIXTURE VARYING BETWEEN 3.5 TO 4.5:1, AND THEN REPEATING THE CHLOROMETHYLATING STEP TO OBTAIN AN ADDITIONAL QUANTITY OF BENZYL CHLORIDE.