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Abstract

Polarographic results for the reduction of a number of aromatic compounds in anhydrous acetic acid were obtained. The compounds studied included: o-, m- and p-nitroanilines and nitro-phenols; o-nitrobenzoic acid; 2,4-dinitro substituted phenol, benzoic acid and toluene; 3,5-dinitro substituted phenol and benzoic acid; 2,4,6-trinitro substituted phenol, benzoic acid and toluene. It has been shown that activating substituents on the benzene nucleus hinder the reduction of nitro groups on the ring, the effect being most pronounced for the o- and p- positions. Hydrogen bonding has been shown to occur to a lesser extent in acetic acid than in aqueous solution. Deactivating groups have been shown to cause nitro substituents to be more easily reduced, the effect decreasing in the order o