Home > Community > What gives when a nitration of toluene is fuming nitric and sulphuric acid?
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+ Chemical reactions
+ Toluene
+ Acids
+ Chemistry
+ Organic chemistry
+ Nitric acid
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Matt Harbowy

What gives when a nitration of toluene is fuming nitric and sulphuric acid?

Dalton Mendeleve  Follow

You need the sulfuric acid to make the nitronium ion to do electrophilic substitution on the ring.

The formation of a nitronium ion (the electrophile) from nitric acid and sulfuric acid is shown below.

The sulfuric acid is regenerated and hence acts as a catalyst.

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Bob McCown  Follow

When nitration of toluene is carried out in presence of fuming nitric acid and fuming sulfuric acid under 333 K temperature , 2, 4, 6-trinitro toluene is the final product .This 2, 4, 6-trinitro toluene is also called TNT. TNT is used as explosive.

The reaction is as follows,

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