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nitroethane

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nitroethane

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Also known as nitroetan, 1-nitroethane

Nitroethane is an organic compound having the chemical formula C2H5NO2. Similar in many regards to nitromethane, nitroethane is an oily liquid at standard temperature and pressure. Pure nitroethane is colorless and has a fruity odor.

Chemical data

Formula
C2H5NO2
Molecular weight
75.07 g/mol
IUPAC name
1-nitroethane
SMILES
CC[N+](=O)[O-]
InChIKey
MCSAJNNLRCFZED-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
0.2
Polar surface area
45.8 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
2
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

~3 min read

Encyclopedic overview

5 sections
Contents
  • Preparation
  • Uses
  • Toxicity
  • References
  • External links

Nitroethane is an organic compound having the chemical formula C2H5NO2. Similar in many regards to nitromethane, nitroethane is an oily liquid at standard temperature and pressure. Pure nitroethane is colorless and has a fruity odor.

== Preparation == Nitroethane is produced industrially by treating propane with nitric acid at 350–450 °C. This exothermic reaction produces four industrially significant nitroalkanes: nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane. The reaction involves free radicals, such as CH3CH2CH2O., which arise via homolysis of the corresponding nitrite ester. These alkoxy radicals are susceptible to C—C fragmentation reactions, which explains the formation of a mixture of products.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “nitroethane” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.