A process for the production of a high quality
gasoline blending components from
refinery process streams by the
alkylation of light isoparaffins with olefins using an
ionic liquid catalyst is disclosed. The
alkylation process comprises contacting a
hydrocarbon mixture comprising at least one olefin having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms and at least one isoparaffin having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms under
alkylation conditions, said catalyst comprising a mixture of at least one acidic
ionic liquid and at least one
alkyl halide. In one embodiment, the acidic
ionic liquid is chloroaluminate ionic liquid prepared by mixing
aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) and a hydrocarbyl substituted
pyridinium halide, a hydrocarbyl substituted imidazolium
halide, trialkylammonium hydrohalide or tetraalkylammonium halide of the general formulas A, B, C and D, respectively,where R=H, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl or hexyl group and X is a halide and preferably a
chloride, and R1 and R2=H, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl or hexyl group and where R1 and R2 may or may not be the same, and R3, R4, and R5 and R6=methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl or hexyl group and where R3, R4, R5 and R6 may or may not be the same.