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EAS//Nitration of bromobenzene Brief summary of procedure. - Mix sulfuric acid +

ID: 1053689 • Letter: E

Question

EAS//Nitration of bromobenzene

Brief summary of procedure.

- Mix sulfuric acid +nitric acid, then cool in water bath. Add stir bar, condenser and reflux for 10 minutes while slowly adding bromobenzene. Don't exceed 55 degrees celcius

- Heat mixture for 15 minutes below 60 degrees celcius. Cooldown, then pour into 40 mL of cold h2o

- vacuum filtration to isolate crude bromonitrobenzene

- recrystallize with 95% ethanol (cool to room temp, then to 0 degrees celcius on ice)

- isolate product by vacuum and wash with ice-cold 95% ethanol.

- concentrate mother liquor under reduced pressure solvent removal.

Suppose your lab mate wants to make 2,4-dinitrobromobenzene from bromobenzene using a variation of the proceduredescribed in the textbook.

a) What changes should your lab mate make to the procedure to maximize their yield of 2,4-dinitrobromobenzene?

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

Nitration as said above is an Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution reaction. The electrophile here is Nitronium ion NO2+.

Bromobenzene to nitrated double will require stoichiometrically double Nitronium ions (NO2+).

On considering yield of nitration of bromobenzene reaction we can conclude much more drastic reaction conditions like high temperature, high 3/4 fold more concentration of an electrophile NO2+ ions will be required.

Hence we need to carry out reaction at some elevated temperature and for some more time and using excees of nitration mixture i.e. HNO3 + H2SO4.

This will ensure fine yield of 2,4-Dinitrobromobenzene from nitration of bromobenzene.

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