Question

What is the action of bromine on nitromethane in alkaline medium?

Answer 1

When nitroethane is dissolved in an equivalent quantity of caustic soda or potash , and bromine added drop by drop , the colour of this substance dis- appears , and on cooling with water, the addition of bromine may be continued until the liquid appeared yellow, when a heavy oil seperates out.

This is a mixture of nitro ethane , monobrom nitroethane and dibromnitrothane , and from this the pure monobromnitrethane can be obtained only with difficulty .

The explanation of the fact that when bromine is added in excess at the commencement of the operation only the monobrom compound is formed, but that when it is added little by little the dibromnitroethane is produced, may be readily explained .