MOLECULE

Nitrobenzene

Nitrobenzene, also known as nitrobenzol or oil of mirbane, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as nitrobenzenes. Nitrobenzenes are compounds containing a nitrobenzene moiety, which consists of a benzene ring with a carbon bearing a nitro group. Approximately 95% of nitrobenzene is consumed in the production of aniline, which is a precursor to rubber chemicals, pesticides, dyes, explosives, and pharmaceuticals. Nitrobenzene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5NO2. It is a hydrophobic pale-yellow oil with an almond-like odor. It freezes to give greenish-yellow crystals. It is produced at a large scale from benzene as a precursor to aniline. In the laboratory, it is occasionally used as a solvent, especially for electrophilic reagents. Nitrobenzene is prepared by nitration of benzene with a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid, water, and nitric acid. This mixture is sometimes called 'mixed acid.' The production of nitrobenzene is one of the most dangerous processes conducted in the chemical industry because of the exothermicity of the reaction (delta H = 117 kJ/mol). Nitrobenzene has been reported as a volatile compound detected in cannabis samples obtained through police seizure (PMID: 26657499).