The nitration of toluene with n-propyl nitrate has been carried out in
the presence of H-ZSM-5 as the catalyst. Several H-ZSM-5 catalysts wi
th different Si/Al ratios were investigated to determine the influence
of varying Si/Al ratios on the catalytic activity. It was found that
high Si/Al ratios enhanced the regioselectivity for the p-nitrotoluene
over the ortho isomer under comparable conditions. The best o:m:p pro
duct distribution (5:0:95) was achieved using H-ZSM-5 with a Si/Al rat
io of 1000. The isolable yield is 54%. In contrast to conventional nit
ration methods, the product distribution reported in this study is rem
arkable.