Abstract Alkali metal halides NaF, KCl, and KBr sharply enhance the nitrating activity of sodium nitrate in acetic acid with respect to 9-methylcarbazole. In the presence of KI and KBr, both nitration and halogenation of the substrate occurs, while KCl and NaF promote only the nitration process. The results may be interpreted in terms of formation of the corresponding nitryl halides XNO2 (X= F, Cl, Br, I) whose structure and reactivity were ...
