Nitrobenzene halogen-substituted, reduction

Secondly, the rates and modes of reaction of the intermediates are dependent on their detailed structure. For example, the stability of the cation radical formed by the oxidation of tertiary aromatic amines is markedly dependent on the type and degree of substitution in the p-position (Adams, 1969b Nelson and Adams, 1968 Seo et al., 1966), and the rate of loss of halogen from the anion radical formed during the reduction of haloalkyl-nitrobenzenes is dependent on the size and position of alkyl substituent and the increase in the rate of this reaction may be correlated with the degree to which the nitro group is twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring (Danen et al., 1969). 

Manufacture of many important amino intermediates used for dyes and other purposes is usually by conversion or replacement of a substituent. For example, as already mentioned, in substituted nitro compounds, the nitro groups may be reduced with iron/hydrochloric acid, hydrogen and catalyst, or zinc in aqueous alkali. Partial reductions can be brought about with sodium sulfide. Amino groups may be introduced by replacing halogens in the aromatic ring. Another approach to amination is by attack on a substituted aromatic compound with ammonia or amines. Thus, for example, direct amination of p-chloronitrobenzene (15a) in the presence of a copper catalyst affords p-nitroaniline (15b) in almost quantitative yield l,4-dichloro-2-nitrobenzene (16) is converted in a similar way to 4-chloro-2-nitroaniline (17). Reactions of ammonia with carboxylic acids or anhydrides are carried out on an industrial scale. 

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