Nitrolic acid

Structure of a nitrolic acid.

Nitrolic acids are organic compounds with the functional group RC(NO2)=NOH. They are prepared by the reaction of nitroalkanes with base and nitrite sources:[1]

RCH2NO2 + HNO2 → RC(NO2)=NOH + H2O

The conversion was first demonstrated by Victor Meyer using nitroethane.[2] The reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of the nitronate anion.

Occurrence

Most nitrolic acids are laboratory curiosities. One exception is the compound HO2C(CH2)4C(NO2)=NOH, which is produced by the oxidation of cyclohexanone with nitric acid.[3] This species decomposes to adipic acid and nitrous oxide:

HO2C(CH2)4C(NO2)=NOH → HO2C(CH2)4CO2H + N2O

This conversion is thought to be the largest anthropogenic route to N2O. Adipic acid is a precursor to many nylon polymers.

References

  1. ↑ Matt, C.; Wagner, A.; Mioskowski, C., "Novel Transformation of Primary Nitroalkanes and Primary Alkyl Bromides to the Corresponding Carboxylic Acids", The Journal of Organic Chemistry 1997, 62, 234-235. doi:10.1021/jo962110n
  2. ↑ Meyer, V.; Locher, J. "Untersuchungen über die Constitution der Nitrolsäuren (Researches on the constitution of the nitrolic acids)" Deut. Chem. Ges. Ber., 1874, volume 7, pp. 670-5. doi:10.1002/cber.187400701211
  3. ↑ Musser, M. T. (2005). "Adipic Acid". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a01_269.
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