Nitration reactions

In organic chemistry, nitration is a general class of chemical processes for the introduction of a nitro group () into an organic compound. The term also is applied incorrectly to the different process of forming nitrate esters () between alcohols and nitric acid (as occurs in the synthesis of nitroglycerin). The difference between the resulting molecular structures of nitro compounds and nitrates () is that the nitrogen atom in nitro compounds is directly bonded to a non-oxygen atom (typically carbon or another nitrogen atom), whereas in nitrate esters (also called organic nitrates), the nitr

Nitration reaction

organic reaction converting benzene to picric acid

Nitration reaction

thumb|right|200px|RDX is a widely used explosive material that is produced by the nitrolysis reaction of hexamine. Nitrolysis is a chemical reaction involving cleavage ("lysis") of a chemical bond concomitant with installation of a nitro group (NO2). Typical reagents for effecting this conversion are nitric acid and acetyl nitrate. A commercially important nitrolysis reaction is the conversion of hexamine to nitramide. Nitrolysis of hexamine is also used to produce RDX, (O2NNCH2)3, a trinitramide widely used as an explosive.