Nitration Of Methyl Benzoate Lab Report

For this lab we performed an electrophilic aromatic substitution through the nitration of methyl benzoate. Aromatic compounds can and do react with electrophiles under vigorous reaction conditions and in a presence of a catalyst. The stability of aromatic compounds is a result of resonance. Aromatic compounds only react with powerful electrophilic reagents and elevated temperatures because aromatic electrons are less reactive in addition reactions as formation of a carbocation intermediate entails loss of resonance stabilization. The nitration of methyl benzoate to synthesize methyl m-nitrobenzoate is an example of an electrophilic aromatic substitution because a nitro group is substituted for a proton on the aromatic ring. For this experiment, the electrophilic reagent is nitronium ion, it is formed by sulfuric acid on nitric acid. Furthermore, the less water present or the more sulfuric acid present, the more nitronium ion formed. The nitronium ion highly are highly electrophilic and can disrupt ring resonance so it can add to an aromatic ring. Moreover, the intermediate formed is stabilized by resonance and loss of proton. The presence of a carbomethoxy

Additionally, there were tiny white properties in the mixture. For this lab the experimental yield for the final product is 3.65g, and the melting point of the product came to be 71C. The experimental yield of the product was very close to the theoretical yield, 4.45g, and using the actual and theoretical yield the percent yield was calculated to be 82%. The literature melting point of the final product is 78C, which is very close to the experimental melting point. The experimental melting point was a less than the literature melting point because there were less impurities, the experimental final product was probably purer as a result of the vacuum filtration conducted using methanol and distilled