Trioxymethylene, condensation with

Trioxymethylene, condensation with nitromethane, 41, 67 Triphenylcinnamylphosphonium chloride, from triphenylphosphine and cinnamyl chloride, 40, 36... 

Zinc chloride (84 g), trioxymethylene (90 g), chloroform or carbon tetrachloride (200 ml), and benzene (78 g) are placed in a sulfonation flask (11) fitted with a gas-inlet tube, reflux condenser, and stirrer and are stirred while a rapid stream of hydrogen chloride is led in. The mixture becomes warm and is cooled at the beginning of the reaction but is warmed to 50-60° towards the end. After 2 h the mixture is washed successively with water (several times), dilute sodium carbonate solution, and water it is then dried over calcium chloride, and most of the chloroform is distilled off. Distillation of the residue in a vacuum affords benzyl chloride (84 g, 66%) and a),a)-dichloroxylene (55 g, 30%), the latter consisting mainly of the para-compound. 

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