Use of Sodium Bromate for Aromatic Bromination:  Research and Development

Sodium bromate is a powerful brominating agent for aromatic compounds that contain deactivating substituents. A bromination process, in which sodium bromate was utilized, was optimized on laboratory scale. Addition of a strong acid into a stirred aqueous solution, or slurry, of the substrate and bromate salt at 40−100°C, leads to the decomposition of the bromate ions and production of the active brominating species. Substrates such as nitrobenzene, benzoic acid, and benzaldehyde were brominated in high yields (85−98%) and specificity. The reaction is especially useful for the bromination of disubstituted benzenes, such as 4-nitrofluorobenzene or 4-fluorobenzoic acid. Several substrates, such as dinitrobenzenes or nitrobenzoic acids, did not undergo bromination at all. The main parameters of the reaction and some of its synthetic potential are discussed.