---
title: "Nitration of benzene Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw"
url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/aromatic-nitration/
description: "Nitration of benzene template: Sulfuric acid makes NO₂⁺ from nitric acid; the ring attacks it and loses H⁺ to give nitrobenzene. Preview it, then open and…"
lang: en
publisher: Scidart Academy
generated: 2026-10-28
---
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# Nitration of benzene template

![Nitration of benzene template: Sulfuric acid makes NO₂⁺ from nitric acid; the ring attacks it and loses H⁺ to give nitrobenzene.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/aromatic-nitration.webp)

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Sulfuric acid makes NO₂⁺ from nitric acid; the ring attacks it and loses H⁺ to give nitrobenzene.

## Mechanism step by step

Electrophilic aromatic substitution by the nitronium ion, NO₂⁺

1. **Protonation** – Sulfuric acid protonates nitric acid
2. **Nitronium ion** – Loss of water gives NO₂⁺
3. **Attack** – The π system attacks NO₂⁺: arenium ion
4. **Deprotonation** – HSO₄⁻ removes H⁺: aromaticity returns

## Key points

- Nitrating mixture: concentrated HNO₃ and H₂SO₄; keep below about 50 °C to avoid dinitration.
- The slow step is attack on NO₂⁺, which breaks aromaticity.
- The NO₂ group deactivates the ring and directs further substitution meta.
- Reduction (Sn/HCl or H₂/Pd) turns nitrobenzene into aniline.

Drawn with 94 atoms, 13 arrows, 6 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

## Sources

- [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 21](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook
- [Smith, March's Advanced Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., Wiley 2020](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119371809) Textbook

## How to use this template

1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
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## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Nitration of benzene template free?

You can preview the Nitration of benzene template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

### Can I edit the Nitration of benzene template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

### Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

### What is a curly-arrow mechanism template?

A ready-made drawing of a reaction mechanism in which curved arrows show where electron pairs move in each step. You can open it in MolDraw, change the substrate and reuse it.

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