104 P. T. Austen—Di- and Trinitrophenetol. 
Art. XVla.— On an easy method of producing Di- and Trinttro- 
phenetol ; by PETER TOWNSEND AUSTEN. 
THE usual way of producing these nitrophenetols is either 
by digestion of ethyl iodide with sodium di- or trinitro- 
phenylate in a closed tube,* or by direct nitrizing of the 
phenetol.t The following procedure will be found more satis- 
tac 
tory. 
Di- or trinitrochlorbenzol is dissolved in absolute alcohol 
and about twice the calculated amount of sodium necessary for 
the reaction, 
C,H,(NO,),Cl+C,H,ONa=C,H,(NO,),00,H,+NaCl 
gradually added insmall pieces. The liquid becomes deep red, 
and under violent evolution of hydrogen finally boils from the 
heat of the reaction, while a brown crystalline precipitate sep- 
arates. After solution of the sodium, water is added and the 
liquid then acidified with hydrochloric acid. After filtering and 
washing with water, the nitrophenetol may be obtained per- 
fectly pare by treatment with animal charcoal and recrystalli- 
zation from boiling absolute alcohol. The purity of the di- 
and trinitrophenetol thus obtained was established by fusing 
point and analysis. 
It is very striking in this case that the nitro-groups are not 
reduced by the violent evolution of hydrogen, or that they are 
benzol gave no pyrene: results, black slimy bodies, appar: 
ently products of a partial reduction being al! that I obtained. 
With benzylalcohol I obtained also no dinitrophenoll lester 
GaicY LY 
Royal Laboratory of Berlin, May 10th, 1875. 
* Korner, unpublished research; Kekule’s Org. Chem., iii, 77. 
+ Cahours, Ann. Chem. Pharm., Ixxiv, 299; lxix, 236. 
} Hermann, Deutschen chem. Ges., 1872, 910. 
