Groups nitro

The aggressive properties conferred on a substance by the introduction of the —NOj group depend on whether the group combines through an oxygen or a carbon atom, that is, whether 

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Anthraquinone can be brominated, chlorinated directly to the tetrachloro (I, 4, 5, 8-) stage, nitrated easily in the 1-position, but gives the 1,5-and 1,8-dinitro-derivalives on prolonged nitration the nitro groups in these compounds are easily displaced by neutral solutions of alkali sulphites yielding the corresponding sulphonic acids. Sulphonation with 20-30 % oleum gives the 2- 2,6- and 2,7-derivatives in the presence of Hg the 1- 1,5- and 1,8- derivatives are formed. 

The nitrochlorobenzenes are valuable dyestufTs intermediates. The presence of the nitro-groups makes the chlorine atom very reactive and easily replaceable. Treatment with ammonia or dilute alkalis substitutes an amino- or hydroxy-group for the chlorine atom and gives a series of nilroanilines and nilrophenols. 

The nitro-hydrocarbons are neutral substances but when a nitro-group is introduced into a phenol or amine the acidic properties are greatly increased or the basicity decreased. The presence of a nitro-group also tends to make halogen atoms in the same molecule much more reactive. 

Some nitro-compounds are themselves coloured and can be used as dyestuffs, e.g. picric acid. In this case the nitro-group can be considered to be the chromophore. For aliphatic nitro-compounds see nitroparaffins. 

The treatment of conjugated systems in terms of electron systems that extend smoothly over all atoms allows the treatment of a variety of structural phenomena, as may be explained with a spedes that shows hindered rotation and with the nitro group. 

Figure 2-52. a) Two semipolar resonance structures are needed in a correct VB representation of the nitro group, b) Representation of a nitro group by a structure having a pentavalent nitrogen atom, c) The RAMSES notation of a nitro group needs no charged resonance structures. One jr-system contains four electrons on three atoms. 

Nitromethane, CH3NO2, the first member of the homologous series, can, however, be readily prepared by a special reaction. When equimolecular amounts of sodium nitrite and sodium monochloroacetate are heated together in aqueous solution, the chlorine in the monochloroacetate is replaced by the nitro group, and the sodium nitroacetate thus formed undergoes hydrolysis follow ed by decarboxylation ... 

Reactions of Picric Acid, (i) The presence of the three nitro groups in picric acid considerably increases the acidic properties of the phenolic group and therefore picric acid, unlike most phenols, will evolve carbon dioxide from sodium carbonate solution. Show this by boiling picric acid with sodium carbonate solution, using the method described in Section 5, p. 330. The reaction is not readily shown by a cold saturated aqueous solution of picric acid, because the latter is so dilute that the sodium carbonate is largely converted into sodium bicarbonate without loss of carbon dioxide. 

On the other hand, the two nitro groups make 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine a very weak base, and it has therefore to be used in reasonably concentrated acid solution. 

Reduction to aminophenol. Reduce about 0 5 g. of o-nitrophenol with cone. HCl and tin as described on p. 385. After a few minutes the yellow molten o-nitrophenol disappears completely, the solution becoming homogeneous and colourless due to the formation of 0-aminophenol (which is soluble in HCl). Cool and add 30% aqueous NaOH solution note that a white precipitate is first formed and then redissolvcs in an excess of NaOH, and that the solution does not develop an orange coloration, indicating that the nitro-group has been reduced. 

Fif rea given before the M.ps. of Nitro derivatives indicate position of nitro groups. 

The nitroparaffiiis in which the nitro group is attached to a primary or secondary carbon atom exist in tautomeric forms, for example ... 

If the temperature is allowed to rise above 240°, reduction of the nitro groups will occur and carbazole will be formed. 

Nitro compounds, when hquid, have characteristic odours, are insoluble in water, highly refractive and with a density greater than unity. Many are crystalline sohds. Most nitro compounds are slightly coloured, generally yellow the intensity of the colour increases with the number of nitro groups. The following reactions will assist in their detection. 

A number of selected aromatic nitro compounds are collected in Table IV,16A, It will be noted that a few nitro aromatic esters have been included in the Table. These are given here because the nitro group may be the first functional group to be identified aromatic nitro esters should be treated as other esters and hydrolysed for final identification. 

It is convenient to include under Aromatic Amines the preparation of m-nitroaniline as an example of the selective reduction of one group in a polynitro compound. When wt-dinitrobenzene is allowed to react with sodium polysulphide (or ammonium sulphide) solution, only one of the nitro groups is reduced and m-nitroanUine results. Some sulphur separates, but the main reaction is represented by ... 

It may be mentioned that diazonium fluoborates containing the nitro group usually decompose suddenly and with violence upon heating, hence if o- or p-fluonitrobenzene are required, the fluoborates (in 10-20 g. quantities) should he mixed with 3-4 times their weight of pure dry sand (or barium sulphate or sodium fluoride) and heated cautiously until decomposition commences intermittent heating will be required to complete the reaction. 

This method cannot be applied to polynitro amines, since these are so weakly basic that they can be diazotised only under special conditions in strongly acidic solutions. In such cases use may, however, be made of the mobility oonfared upon halogen atoms by the presence of nitro groups in the orlko and para positions. Thus the valuable reagent 2 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine is readily prepared by the condensation of 2 4-dinitrochlorobenzene with hydrazine ... 

Reduces nitrile, amides and aryl nitro groups to amines... 

It looks as though we can get B from A (which is used in frame 247) and so the nitro group is the obvious source of the amino group. It will also allow us to hydrolyse one ether specifically by nucleophilic aromatic substitution. 

Investigations of the solubilities of aromatic compounds in concentrated and aqueous sulphuric acids showed the activity coefficients of nitrocompounds to behave unusually when the nitro-compound was dissolved in acid much more dilute than required to effect protonation. This behaviour is thought to arise from changes in the hydrogenbonding of the nitro group with the solvent. 

The combined inductive and field effects of these poles do not produce strong discrimination between the m- and /i-positions in nitration m p for. NMe3+, and smaller for the protonated poles). This situation is in marked contrast to that produced by, say, the nitro group ( 9.1.3), and suggests that the —M effect is more discriminating between m- and -positions than is the — I effect. 

In some situations the nitro group behaves as if it exerted its influence mainly by the inductive process, but in nitration its behaviour seems to place it with this group of —I —M substituents. The precise way in which a sulphone group is described depends on how much weight is given to the ability of the sulphur atom to expand its octet the positive... 

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