The nitration of benzene is carried out using
- A. dilute nitric acid alone at room temperature
- B. a mixture of concentrated nitric and concentrated sulphuric acids at about 50 to 60 degrees Celsius
- C. sodium nitrate solution
- D. nitrogen dioxide gas in sunlight
Explanation
Sulphuric acid protonates nitric acid so that it loses water and generates the nitronium ion, which is the actual electrophile attacking the ring. The temperature is kept near 55 degrees because higher temperatures give unwanted dinitrobenzene. Nitrobenzene is important industrially as the starting point for aniline and hence for dyes.
Related questions
The Kekule structure of benzene failed to explain
Benzene undergoes electrophilic substitution rather than addition because substitution
Benzene is described as aromatic because it
Which one of the following is not a characteristic of benzene?
Chlorination of benzene in the presence of iron (III) chloride involves mechanism of: