Preparation of alkaryl sulfonic acids

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR THE PREPATATION OF AN ALKARYL SULFONIC ACID COMPRISING THE STEPS: PREPARING A CRUDE ALKYLATION PRODUCT BY REACTING AN AROMATIC HYDROCARBON WITH AN OLEFIN CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 18 CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALKYLATION CATALYST AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND ISOLATING THE CRUDE ALKYLATION PRODUCT THEREFROM; EXTRACTING THE SAID CRUDE ALKYLATION PRODUCT WITH SULFURIC ACID THUS FORMING TWO PHASES, A FIRST PHASE COMPRISING THE SULFURIC ACID HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN THE COLOR AND ODOR PRECURSORS AND A SECOND PHASE CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF THE ALKYLATION PRODUCT, SEPARATING THE PHASES, TREATING SAID SECOND PHASE WITH AN ALKALI TO NEUTRALIZED AND SULFURIC ACID CONTAINED THEREIN, FRACTIONALLY DISTILLING SAID SECOND PHASE TO RECOVER THEREFROM THE PURIFIED ALKYLATION PRODUCT; PASSING SAID PURIFIED ALKYLATION PRODUCT TO A REACTOR WHEREIN IT IS BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH A REFRIGERATED SURFACE, PROGRESSIVELY MOVING A SCRAPER OVER SAID SURFACE, INTRODUCING A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONSISTING OF SO3 AND AN INERT DILUENT INTO SAID ALKYLATION PRODUCT AT A POINT ADJACENT SAID SURFACE AND CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID SCRAPER, AND THEN COLLECTING THE SULFONATED PRODUCT.