IDENTIFICATION OF THE ISOMERS FROM MONONITRATION AND DINITRATION OF ALPHA-HYDROXYDIPHENYLACETIC ACID BY CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED AND MASS-SPECTROMETRIC DETECTION

All three mononitro and all six heteronuclear dinitro isomers from nitration of alpha-hydroxydiphenylacetic (benzilic) acid were separated as methyl esters by capillary gas chromatography and their retention indices were measured. Heteronuclear dinitro substitution of alpha-hydroxydiphenylacetic acid was confirmed by inspection of the MS fragmentation patterns of the eluted compounds. The mononitro and dinitro derivatives were identified on the basis of their Fourier transform IR spectra and, in part, of the MS spectra recorded in the positive-ion mode.