Coupling of aromatic rings

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A DIARYLMETHANE BY REACTING AN AROMATIC COMPOUND WITH A BENZYL HALIDE WHEREIN THE ARYL GROUPS OF THE DIARYLMETHANE 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 A CATALYST COMPRISING AN ALUMINUMHEAVY METAL COUPLE WHEREIN THE HEAVY METAL COMPONENT IS A METAL BELOW HYDROGEN IN THE ELECTROMOTIVE SERIESMORE THAN TWO MOLES OF AN AROMATIC COMPOUND 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 META-ORIENTED NUCLEAR SUBSTITUENTS, FOR EACH MOLE OF A BENZYL HALIDE CONTAINING ONE TO THREE HALOMETHYL GROUPS, AND RECOVERING A DIARYLMETHANE WHOSE ARYL GROUPS ARE THE SAME AND ARE DERIVED FROM THE AROMATIC COMPOUND REACTANT WHEREIN SAID PROCESS THE AROMATIC COMPOUND IS CHOSEN WITH RESPECT SAID BENZYL HALIDE SO THAT, WHEN THE BENZYL HALIDE CONTAINS ONLY ONE HALOMETHYL GROUP AND THE BENZENE RING IS OTHERWISE FREE FROM NUCLEAR SUBSTITUENTS, SAID AROMATIC COMPOUND CONTAINS AT LEAST ONE NUCLEAR SUBSTITUENT, AND WHEN THE BENZYL HALIDE CONTAINS AT LEAST ONE NUCLEAR SUBSTITUENT ON THE BENZENE RING IN ADDITION TO THE HALOMETHYL GROUP, SAID AROMATIC COMPOUND IS ANY MEMBER OF SAID DEFINED CLASS THEREOF.