Nitration of methyl benzoate Flashcards
what would happen to the reaction if we added some water to the reaction mixture?
no product! water has a retarding effect because it interferes with the nitric acid-sulfuric acid equilibrium.
why is it important to add the nitric acid-sulfric acid mixture slowly over 15 min?
formation of of by-products decreases and the yield of our product increases
Why does the amount of dinitration increase at elevated temperatures?
dinitration product is less energetically favorable then mononitration so it usually doesn’t form. With increased heat it makes the activation energy barrier more easily reached, and that makes the dinitration product possible.
why is it harder to react an aromatic ring with a cyclohexene?
the electrons in the aromatic ring are participating in resonance stabilization, and are thus less readily available for reactions. this means aromatic compounds only react with powerfully electrophilic reagents (usually at elevated temperatures)
why did we attach an air condenser?
just to hold the conical vile, we dont actually need water.
