Kinetic study of o-nitrotoluene nitration in a homogeneously continuous microflow

Abstract

o-Nitrotoluene nitration can produce 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2,6-dinitrotoluene simultaneously, which is also the common side-reaction of toluene mononitration. Kinetic study is helpful to deepen the understanding of nitration and control the reaction better. A homogeneously continuous microflow system was constructed to determine the kinetic parameters of 2-MNT nitration. A complete kinetic model was established and all kinetic parameters were obtained. In general, the observed reaction rate will increase with increasing H₂SO₄ mass fraction. However, when the H₂SO₄ mass fraction increases to a certain value, the observed reaction rate decreases. This is the first time to report the maximum observed reaction rate constant corresponding to the H₂SO₄ mass fraction at different temperatures in this work. Compared to previous reports on this reaction, the system provides more accurate kinetic parameters and can be developed into a reliable platform for the kinetic study of similar reactions.