Nitration of Benzene to Nitrobenzene Using NO₂ as Nitro Source Under Mild and Solvent‐Free Conditions

Abstract

In this work, a green and efficient method has been developed to catalyze the nitration of benzene to nitrobenzene in NO2‐O2 system by using acidic ion exchange resin as catalyst under mild (0 °C and atmospheric pressure) and solvent‐free conditions. Based on experimental screening, commercial acid ion exchange resin Amberlite FPC3500 was identified as the optimal catalyst. Under the optimized reaction conditions, 99.9 % conversion of benzene was obtained with 99.1 % selectivity of nitrobenzene. Furthermore, the catalyst is easily reusable. The results demonstrate a greener route for the production of nitrobenzene.