Aromatic nitro compounds are widely used in various fields such as food and agriculture, biopharmaceuticals, coatings and dyes, fragrances, and explosives. Among these, 2-nitro-4-methylsulfonyl toluene is an important raw material for synthesizing the herbicide mesosulfuron-methyl. It is synthesized through a mixed acid nitration reaction of methylsulfonyl toluene. However, nitration reactions, being rapid and highly exothermic, are prone to generating localized hotspots during the process, which poses significant safety risks. Traditional batch reactors have not been able to overcome this challenge.
In recent years, there have been some studies on the nitration kinetics of various aromatic compounds such as toluene, nitrotoluene, and chlorobenzene. However, there is little research on the nitration of methylsulfonyl toluene. During the nitration of methylsulfonyl toluene, it must diffuse from the organic phase into the aqueous phase and react with the nitronium ion (NO₂⁺ ) formed by the reaction of concentrated HNO₃ and H₂SO₄. This process faces significant mass transfer resistance. Therefore, to obtain accurate kinetic data, a method for quenching the nitration reaction in milliseconds is needed, as well as a device with excellent mass transfer and heat transfer performance.
РІШЕННЯ YHCHEM
The continuous flow microreactor independently developed by YHCHEM offers advantages such as efficient mass and heat transfer, small reaction volume, and short residence time. It enables precise control over reaction temperature and time. Combined with a micro-mixer and high-precision control modules, this system effectively addresses the challenges encountered in the nitration process of methylsulfonyl toluene. The specific process flow is shown in the діаграма нижче.