Nitration of benzene with conc. HNO3/H2SO4 gives what product?

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Multiple Choice

Nitration of benzene with conc. HNO3/H2SO4 gives what product?

Nitration of benzene is an electrophilic aromatic substitution. In conc. HNO3/H2SO4, the mixture generates the nitronium ion (NO2+), the strong electrophile that attacks the benzene ring. The ring donates electron density to NO2+, forming a sigma complex, which then loses a proton to restore aromaticity, yielding nitrobenzene. This is the direct product of adding a nitro group to the ring under these conditions. The other possibilities don’t arise here: aniline would require introducing an amino group under reducing or different conditions; toluene would require adding or preserving a side chain on the ring, which isn’t part of this process; benzoic acid would need oxidation of a side chain or carboxylation, which isn’t happening in this nitration mixture. Nitrobenzene is the expected product.

Nitration of benzene is an electrophilic aromatic substitution. In conc. HNO3/H2SO4, the mixture generates the nitronium ion (NO2+), the strong electrophile that attacks the benzene ring. The ring donates electron density to NO2+, forming a sigma complex, which then loses a proton to restore aromaticity, yielding nitrobenzene. This is the direct product of adding a nitro group to the ring under these conditions.

The other possibilities don’t arise here: aniline would require introducing an amino group under reducing or different conditions; toluene would require adding or preserving a side chain on the ring, which isn’t part of this process; benzoic acid would need oxidation of a side chain or carboxylation, which isn’t happening in this nitration mixture. Nitrobenzene is the expected product.

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