During the nitration of benzene, what is the major product?

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Multiple Choice

During the nitration of benzene, what is the major product?

Nitration of benzene is an electrophilic aromatic substitution. In the strongly acidic mix, the nitronium ion NO2+ is generated and acts as the electrophile that attacks the benzene ring to form a sigma complex. Deprotonation then restores aromaticity, giving nitrobenzene as the main product. The nitro group strongly deactivates the ring, so after one substitution the ring becomes much less reactive toward further electrophilic attack, making mono-nitration far more likely under standard conditions. The other species come from different reactions or conditions (for example, nitrosobenzene and azoxybenzene are formed via other pathways), and dinitrobenzene would require a second nitration under harsher conditions, which is not typical here.

Nitration of benzene is an electrophilic aromatic substitution. In the strongly acidic mix, the nitronium ion NO2+ is generated and acts as the electrophile that attacks the benzene ring to form a sigma complex. Deprotonation then restores aromaticity, giving nitrobenzene as the main product. The nitro group strongly deactivates the ring, so after one substitution the ring becomes much less reactive toward further electrophilic attack, making mono-nitration far more likely under standard conditions. The other species come from different reactions or conditions (for example, nitrosobenzene and azoxybenzene are formed via other pathways), and dinitrobenzene would require a second nitration under harsher conditions, which is not typical here.

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