Ortho-nitrotoluene has a weak, sweet, almond-like aroma reminiscent of nitrobenzene or bitter almond, with a chemical, slightly acrid undertone. It is not a standard perfumery material and is primarily an industrial intermediate rather than a fragrance ingredient.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 1013.
Yellowish liquid.
Very slightly soluble in water (0.06%), soluble in alcohol and oils.
Pungent, but very sweet, heavy odor, sweeter than that of Nitrobenzene, and not as offensive.
Although this material is considered much less (perhaps 10 times less) toxic than Nitrobenzene, there is considerable objection to the use of it in modern perfumery. Besides, it does not offer notes which are particularly unusual or unobtainable with other materials. Nitro-toluene may therefore be considered as practically obsolete for such purposes.
Produced by nitration of toluene. A mixture of (mainly) para- and ortho-nitrotoluene is obtained. Separation e.g. by fractional distillation.