Nitro/« anilines, charge-transfer

It is assumed that an excited state charge transfer complex is formed between the nitroaromatic in its first triplet state and the respective substrate. Internal proton transfer is immediately followed by hberation of carbon dioxide. Finally hydrolysis of the hemiacetal Ar —X—CH2OH (X = NH or S) leads to 2-chloro-aniline or thiophenol, respectively. In the decarboxylation of a-phenylthio-acetic acid, some methyl-phenylsulfide is also formed. (7t,7r )-nitroaromatics are more reactive than nitro compounds with lowest (n,7t )-triplets iso). 

TNT forms charge-transfer, or 7r, complexes with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, and aromatic nitro compds a number of these are listed below in Table 2. The complexes with three amines (diphenylamine, diethyl-aniline, p-anisidine) have characteristic colors this forms the basis for a rapid and convenient thin-layer chromatographic analytical procedure (Ref 34) for the identification of very small amounts of TNT. (For a discussion of the many color reactions of TNT, and of composite expls containing it, see Vol 3, C405-L ff)... 

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