Appearance colorless liquid | ||
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Acetyl nitrate is the organic compound with the formula CH3C(O)ONO2. It is classified as the mixed anhydride of nitric and acetic acids. It is a colorless explosive liquid that fumes in moist air.
Synthesis and reactions
It is prepared from acetic anhydride and dinitrogen pentoxide or with nitric acid:
(CH3CO)2O + HNO3 → CH3C(O)ONO2 + CH3CO2HIt hydrolyzes in air to acetic and nitric acid, the reverse of the above reaction. Alternatively, nitric acid adds to ketene.
It is used for some nitrations and nitrolysis reactions. It acetylates amines, akin to the behavior of acetyl chloride:
2 RNH2 + CH3C(O)ONO2 → [RNH3]NO3 + CH3C(O)NHRReferences
Acetyl nitrate Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA