Phenol photonitration upon UV irradiation of nitrite in aqueous solution I: Effects of oxygen and 2-propanol Original Research Article

Nitrophenols are formed in aqueous solution upon UV irradiation of phenol and nitrite. The formation of nitrophenols is enhanced by dissolved oxygen and inhibited by the addition of 2-propanol. The mechanism of phenol photonitration involves both √NO2 (or N2O4), reacting with phenol, and 4-nitrosophenol, which is oxidised to 4-nitrophenol. A reaction scheme is proposed based on experimental results.