The alkylation of benzene with ethylene or propylene to form ethylbenzene (EB) or cumene is an industrially significant transformation. EB is used as an intermediate in the manufacture of styrene, which in turn is an important in the manufacture of many kinds of polymers. The primary use of cumene is in the co-production of phenol and acetone, which in turn are important in the manufacture of many kinds of chemicals and polymers. In industry, EB and cumene are mainly manufactured by the alkylation of benzene with ethene or propene via two methods, the gas and the liquid phase in the presence of Lewis and Brønsted acids. The development of efficient solid catalysts has gained much attention over the last decades. The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the history of the alkylation of benzene with ethene and propene, the development of homogeneous and heterogeneous Lewis and Brønsted acids and zeiolite catalysts, the liquid and gas phase alkylation processes, and the industrial technologies for EB and cumene production.
Mechanistic Investigations of Liquid-phase Direct Alkylation of Benzene with n-Heptane Using Proton-exchanged Montmorillonite Catalysts