Difference Between Nitromethane and Methyl Nitrite

The key difference between nitromethane and methyl nitrite is that in the chemical structure of nitromethane, the carbon atom of the methyl group is directly attached to the nitrogen atom whereas, in methyl nitrite, there is an oxygen atom between the carbon and nitrogen atoms.

Nitromethane and methyl nitrite are organic compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Both these compounds have methyl groups and nitrogen-oxygen bonds attached to those organic groups. Moreover, nitromethane occurs as a liquid at room temperature where methyl nitrite is a gaseous compound.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Nitromethane
3. What is Methyl Nitrite
4. Side by Side Comparison – Nitromethane vs Methyl Nitrite in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Nitromethane?

Nitromethane is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3NO2. It falls under the category of nitro compounds, and it is the simplest nitro compound. At room temperature, this compound occurs as a liquid compound which is colourless and oily. It is a common polar solvent that is useful for extraction purposes.

Difference Between Nitromethane and Methyl Nitrite

Figure 01: Chemical Structure of Nitromethane

For industrial purposes, nitromethane can be produced by combining propane with nitric acid. This reaction occurs in the gas phase. It is an exothermic reaction that takes place at a high temperature. As products, this reaction produces four important organic compounds: nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane. In addition, we can produce nitromethane in the laboratory via the reaction between sodium chloroacetate and sodium nitrite in the liquid phase.

There are many uses of nitromethane – the major use is its importance in stabilizing chlorinated solvents. These chlorinated solvents are used in dry cleaning, semiconductor processing, degreasing, etc. Moreover, nitromethane is important as a solvent for dissolution of agents such as acrylate monomers. This solvent has a considerably high polarity.

What is Methyl Nitrite?

Methyl nitrite is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3ONO. It falls under the category of alkyl nitrites, and it is the simplest among alkyl nitrite compounds. This compound occurs as a yellow coloured gas at room temperature. It exists as a mixture of cis and trans conformers of methyl nitrite. The cis structure is more stable than the trans structure.

Key Difference - Nitromethane vs Methyl Nitrite

Figure 02: Chemical Structure of Methyl Nitrite

Methyl nitrite can be produced from the reaction between silver nitrite and iodomethane. Silver nitrite exists in the dissociated form in its solution – separate silver ions and nitrite ions. Therefore, upon reaction with iodomethane, methyl group is attacked by the nitrite group, releasing iodide ions.

When considering the uses of methyl nitrite, it is an oxidizing agent and a heat-sensitive explosive material. Therefore, it is useful as a rocket propellant and monopropellant. Also, this compound is useful as a precursor and an intermediate for the synthesis of other chemical compounds.

What is the Difference Between Nitromethane and Methyl Nitrite?

The key difference between nitromethane and methyl nitrite is that in the chemical structure of nitromethane, the carbon atom of the methyl group is directly attached to the nitrogen atom whereas, in methyl nitrite, there is an oxygen atom between the carbon and nitrogen atoms. Furthermore, nitromethane occurs as a liquid at room temperature while methyl nitrite is a gaseous compound.

Below tabulation summarizes the difference between nitromethane and methyl nitrite.

Summary – Nitromethane vs Methyl Nitrite

Nitromethane and methyl nitrite are organic compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen atoms. The key difference between nitromethane and methyl nitrite is that in the chemical structure of nitromethane, the carbon atom of methyl group directly attaches to the nitrogen atom whereas, in methyl nitrite, there is an oxygen atom between the carbon and nitrogen atoms.

Reference:

1. “Nitromethane.” Nitromethane – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.
2. “Nitromethane.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2020, Available here.