Science
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Background:
Many substitution reactions at aliphatic carbons atoms are nucleophilic. Aromatic substitution reactions are generally electrophilic, due to the high electron density of the benzene ring. The species reacting with the aromatic ring is usually a positive ion or the positive end of a dipole. This electron deficient species, or electrophile, may be produced in various ways, but the reaction between the electrophile and the aromatic ring is essentially the same in all cases. The most common electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism is the arenium ion mechanism. Nitration is one of the most important examples of electrophilic aromatic substitutions. Aromatic nitro compounds or used in products ranging from explosives to pharmaceutical synthetic intermediates. The electrophile in nitration is the nitonium ion NO2+. The nitronium ion is generated from nitric acid by protanantion and loss of water, using sulfuric acid as the dehydrating agent. In this experiment, we will use melting point data to determine which regioisomer is formed...