Abstract
The nitration of phenol is one of the traditional tasks in practical organic chemistry exercises. In most cases it is carried out as a reaction of phenol with nitric acid or sodium nitrate and sulphuric acid on a macro scale.
In the context of trends in chemistry teaching oriented towards occupational safety, it is desirable to modify such experimental tasks appropriately. Examples are the nitration of phenol using various nitrates and acetic acid, which are carried out on a micro- or semi-microscale in the presence of microwaves.
In this context, we focused on the demonstration of the process of phenol nitration using nitrates of different metals. Sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, copper nitrate and ferric nitrate were used in the experiment.
The reaction was carried out under defined conditions in a commercial microwave oven. If sodium nitrate is used in the nitration of phenol, the reaction does not proceed, and mononitrophenols are formed in the presence of calcium nitrate.
When copper nitrate is used, mononitrophenols and dinitrophenols are formed, and the reaction with ferric nitrate leads to a further increase in the dinitrophenol content of the reaction mixture. The actual realization of the experiment allows the application of the research method, e.g. investigation of the influence of the reaction conditions or the reactants used on the course of the reaction.
The experiments are intended for students of chemistry teaching, they can also be used in workshops for high school students.