Phenyl-2-nitropropene
Phenyl-2-nitropropene is a chemical compound with the chemical formula is C9H9NO2. It can be produced by the reaction of benzaldehyde and nitroethane in the presence of a basic catalyst. In this reaction, the base deprotonates nitroethane to form a resonance stabilized anion. This anion nucleophilically adds to the aldehyde forming a beta nitro alcohol, which is subsequently dehydrated to yield the nitroalkene. This reaction is known as a nitroaldol reaction. Phenyl-2-nitropropene is used to make pharmaceuticals. It is used in pharmaceutical industry to manufacture the drug Adderall, an amphetamine mixture, which is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.
