chemistry and technology of explosives vol 1 by urbanski - 126
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CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES
(55d)
and
(55e)
or (2)
(55f)
The mononitrophenol formed either by the reaction (55e) or by reaction (55f) is, then further nitrated to dinitro- and trinitro-phenols if the concentration of nitric acid is sufficiently high. Westheimer’s formulation of the mechanism of the reaction appears to be the most accurate of all the attempts to elucidate the mechanism of “oxynitration”. Laptev [131] suggested a mechanism based on reactions (55/1) and (55/2), followed by formation of p- hydroxyphenylhydroxylamine :
(56)
If nitric acid does not contain nitrogen oxides, a reversible decomposition of the organo-mercuric compound can take place, as has been shown by Baryshnikova and Titov [139]:
Ar-HgNO 3 + H N O 3 - > Ar-H + Hg(NO 3 ) 2
At a sufficient concentration of nitric acid, mercury is replaced by the nitro
