Dinitrogen pentoxide alcohols

More obscure reagents used for 0-nitration include mixtures of phosphoric and nitric acids, and anhydrous nitric acid in which phosphorous pentoxide has been dissolved. The latter mixture contains dissolved dinitrogen pentoxide and is a powerful nitrating agent. A mixture of anhydrous nitric acid containing catalytic amounts of boron trifluoride has been reported to lead to the rapid 0-nitration of alcohols. "... 

Solutions of dinitrogen pentoxide in anhydrous nitric acid are unlikely to find wide use for the industrial synthesis of nitrate esters - synthesis from the parent alcohol is relatively straightforward and so this reagent, which is more expensive than mixed acid, holds few advantages. 

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