Coupling of aromatic rings

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A DIARYLMETHANE BY REACTING AN AROMATIC COMPOUND WITH A HALOMETHYL NAPHTHALENE REACTANT WHEREIN THE ARYL GROUPS OF THE PRINCIPAL CIARYLMETHANE PRODUCT ARE THE SAME AND ARE DERIVED FROM THE AROMATIC REACTANT BY THE REMOVAL OF ONE HYDROGEN THEREFROM WHICH COMPRISES: REACTING UNDER ANHYDROUS CONDITIONS AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 0*C. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALUMINUM CONTAINING CATALYUST SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF ANHYDROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE AND AN ALUMINUM-HEAVY METAL COUPLE WHERIN THE HEAVY METAL COMPONENT IS A METAL BELOW HYDROGEN IN THE ELECTROMOTIVE SERIES, AT LEAST 10 MOLES OF AN AROMATIC COMPOUNG HAVING AT LEAST ONE HYDROGEN ATTACHED TO AN AROMATIC RING CARBON AND IS SELECTED FROM THE AROMATIC COMPOUND CLASS CONSISTING OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND NUCLEAR SUBSTITUTED DERIVATIVES THEREOF FREE FROM METAORIENTED NUCLEAR SUBSTITUENTS, FOR EACH MOLE OF A HALOMETHYL NAPHTHALENE RACTANT CONTAINNG ONE TO THREE HALOMETHYL GROUPS, AND RECOVERING AS A PRINCIPAL DIARYLMETHANE PRODUCT ONE WHOSE ARYL GROUPS ARE THE SAME AND ARE DERIVED FROM THE AROMATIC COMPOUND REACTANT.