Wiktionary
diphenylmethane
n. (context organic compound English) The aromatic hydrocarbon (C6H5)2CH2; it is an intermediate in the synthesis of many other compounds
Wikipedia
Diphenylmethane
Diphenylmethane is an organic compound with the formula (CH)CH. The compound consists of methane wherein two hydrogen atoms are replaced by two phenyl groups. Diphenylmethane forms a common skeleton in organic chemistry; the diphenylmethyl group is also known as benzhydryl.
It is prepared by the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzyl chloride with benzene in the presence of a Lewis acid such as aluminium trichloride:
CHCHCl + CH → (CH)CH + HCl