2.4. Catalytic tests
The liquid phase benzylation of benzene with benzyl chloride (BC)
was carried out in a three necked round-bottomed flask equipped
with a reflux condenser and heated in a precisely controlled oil bath
under atmospheric pressure. In a typical run, 13 ml of benzene was
added to 50 mg catalyst (which had been activated overnight at
383 K). The reaction mixture was maintained for 30 min at the required
reaction temperature, and then 1 ml of benzyl chloride was added. The
moment was regarded as initial reaction time. Liquid samples were
withdrawn at regular intervals and analyzed by gas chromatography.
The products were also identified by GC-MS (HP-5975C) analysis.
Since benzene was in excess, conversion was calculated based on the
benzylating reagent i.e. BC. The selectivity to the product diphenylmethane
(DPM) was expressed as the amount of particular product
divided by amount of total products and multiplied by 100.