Organic Chemistry MCAT Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Master Your Test Preparation!

When an aromatic ring reacts with nitric acid in the presence of sulfuric acid, the common reaction that occurs is nitration, which leads to the formation of a nitro compound, specifically nitrobenzene when benzene is the aromatic ring involved.

In this reaction, the sulfuric acid acts as a catalyst and helps to generate the nitronium ion (NO₂⁺) from nitric acid. This nitronium ion is a highly reactive electrophile that will attack the electron-rich aromatic ring, resulting in the substitution of one hydrogen atom on the ring with a nitro group (–NO₂).

This process is a key example of electrophilic aromatic substitution, where the aromatic system is preserved even as one of its hydrogens is replaced. The product, nitrobenzene, is characterized by its distinct nitro group attached to the benzene ring, which influences the physical and chemical properties of the compound significantly and makes it useful in various applications in organic synthesis.

The other options—hydrocarbon, alcohol, and aldehyde—do not accurately describe the specific reaction and product formed under the conditions provided (using nitric and sulfuric acids). Hydrocarbons would not arise from this reaction; alcohols and aldehydes