very often alkylate is obtained as a high boiling fraction in which the alkyl group attached to the aromatic nucleus varies in size from about c 6 to about c 12 reformate especially reformate containing substantial quantities of benzene toluene and or xylene would also constitute a useful feed for the alkylation process of this invention the alkylating agents which are useful in the process of this invention generally include any aliphatic or aromatic organic compound having one or more available alkylating aliphatic groups capable of reaction with the alkylatable aromatic compound preferably with the alkylating group possessing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms examples of suitable alkylating agents are olefins such as ethylene propylene the butenes and the pentenes alcohols inclusive of monoalcohols dialcohols trialcohols etc such as methanol ethanol the propanols the butanols and the pentanols aldehydes such as formaldehyde acetaldehyde propionaldehyde butyraldehyde and n valeraldehyde and alkyl halides such as methyl chloride ethyl chloride the propyl chlorides the butyl chlorides and the pentyl chlorides and so forth mixtures of light olefins can also be useful as alkylating agents in the alkylation process of this invention accordingly mixtures of ethylene propylene butenes and or pentenes which are major constituents of a variety of refinery streams e g fuel gas gas plant off gas containing ethylene propylene etc naphtha cracker off gas containing light olefins refinery fcc propane propylene streams etc are useful.