loading level reactor design and the like the use of solvent in the dehydrogenation step is optional when employed solvents which are stable under the dehydrogenation conditions are suitable and are employed in amounts ranging from 10 up to 90 weight percent of the reaction mixture examples of suitable solvents include biphenyl naphthalene diphenylether tetralin durene prehnitene or 1 2 3 4 tetramethylbenzene and the like the catalyst utilized may be recycled from the slurry by filtering the hot reaction mixture the filtration may be conducted at the reaction temperature above the melting point of the reaction mixture or at a temperature between about 100 u00b0 c and 200 u00b0 c a preferred range of temperatures for recovering the catalyst by filtration is between 125 u00b0 c and 150 u00b0 c in a preferred embodiment of the invention hydrogen gas produced as a result of the reaction is removed from the reaction atmosphere as the reaction proceeds this can be accomplished by a variety of techniques as are well known by those of skill in the art for example the removal of hydrogen gas can be attained by circulating an inert gas through the atmosphere immediately above or directly into the reaction mixture by means of example the inert gas may be nitrogen however other unreactive gases may also be utilized for the removal of the hydrogen gas as one alternative hydrogen gas can be removed by careful addition of a purge gas containing small amounts of a reactive gas e g oxygen which enables the removal of hydrogen as water the net result of hydrogen gas removal is to shift the equilibrium concentration from the starting material or substrate to the product of the reaction by removing from the system any amount of hydrogen.