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402 CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES

Mononitro derivatives of o- and p- xylenes....................

Ortho- and p- xylene nitrate more readily than m- xylene. They are also more

readily oxidized especially during mononitration as well as during vigorous nitra-

tion to trinitro derivatives. For this reason the yields obtained in the nitration of

o- and p- xylene are lower than those obtained with m- xylene.

The following mononitro derivatives are known: 4-nitro- and 3-nitro-o-xylene

and 2-nitro-p-xylene :

m. p. 30°C m. p. 9% b. p. 234-239°C

b. p. 258.8°C b. p. 250-8°C

Dinitro derivatives of o- and p- xylenes......................

The following dinitro-o-xylenes are known: 4,5-, 4,6- (or 3,5-), 3,4- and 3,6-

o- xylene :

m p. 115°C m. p. 75-76°C m. p. 82°C m. p. 56-60°C

Among dinitro derivatives of p- xylene the following three isomers are known :

2,3-, 2,6- and 2,5-dinitro-p-xylene :

m. p. 93°C m. p. 123-129.5°C m. p. 147-148°C

Nitration of p- xylene mostly yields the 2,3- and 2,6-isomers.

Trinitro derivatives of o- and p- xylenes......................

At first o- xylene was believed (Noelting and Thesmar [16]) to be without

trinitro derivatives, until Crossley and Renouf [17] obtained a trinitro compound,