BRAINCAKENitration of Benzene
Benzene reacts with nitric acid to form nitrobenzene, C6H5NO2, by electrophilic substitution.
Conditions: a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid (the nitrating mixture), warmed to about 50 °C. The temperature is kept below about 55 °C, because at higher temperatures more than one nitro group substitutes, giving 1,3-dinitrobenzene.
Generating the electrophile: sulfuric acid is the stronger acid and protonates nitric acid, which then loses water to form the nitronium ion, NO2+:
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More in Arenes
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