Summary Studies of some of the intermediate stages in the oxynitration of benzene are described. Basic phenylmercuric nitrate was isolated from an oxynitration reaction mixture. Phenylmercuric salts were shown to react with nitric acid to produce 2, 4-dinitrophenol. The mercuration of benzene in dilute nitric acid was studied. Nitrosobenzene was oxynitrated without the use of mercuric nitrate as a catalyst. The stoichiometric consequences of ...
