A Closer Look at 3,5-Dinitrotoluene

The dinitrotoluenes (DNT) are some widely used compounds despite the first general impression one might have. They are the intermediates of several economically important industrial reactions such as the continuous nitration process of trinitrotoluene (TNT).^3,4 As we were interested in the spectral characteristics of the various isomers of DNT⁵, we realized that the 3,5 isomer was not u-sually obtained during the nitration process of toluene⁶, thus making its availability quite restricted. It appeared relevant to find a useful and practical way to synthesize that particular isomer as it could also lead to the formation of new polyurethanes⁷, many polymerization processes uses DNT (mainly the 2,4 isomer because of its availability and its low price).