[arian487]

I am writing a complex report on TNT (trinitrotoluene), absolutely any form of information or any sources would help a lot!!!

[dickson111]

TNT is synthesized in a three-step process.First, toluene is nitrated with a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid to produce mono-nitrotoluene or MNT. The MNT is then nitrated to dinitrotoluene or DNT. In the final step, the DNT is nitrated to trinitrotoluene or TNT. The acids used in the manufacture of TNT are recycled and reused.

Source wiki , has useless jargon which i don't really care about but if it helps you

[billnotgatez]

I would suggest reading the forum rules

Rules and Policy
Black Violations: A single violation will result in a ban

0. Discussions on illicit drug synthesis are strictly forbidden as well as discussions on synthesizing explosives. Although intellectual discussions on the chemical physical properties of such explosives and drugs are allowed. Violators will have their topic deleted and banned.

[hmx9123]

Be careful.  The general description that was given by dickson111 is fine, but let's not post a lab procedure.  I would suggest finding a copy of The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives by Tenney L. Davis.  He was an MIT professor who wrote this book for a senior chemistry course.  It has a tremendous amount of history and detail about TNT as a compound.  It should give you a lot of information, and it is fully referenced, so you should have no trouble finding other sources from there.

[pantsboy]

I have a question regarding its formation that hopefully doesn't go against forum rules, since the question regarding Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution and not TNT production:

When TNT is being produced, how do chemists compete against the deactivating effect of the nitro group?  Wouldn't even having two nitro groups on the toluene sufficiently deactivate any further groups from adding via electrophilic substitution?

If you can apply my question to any other compound so as it doesn't go against forum rules that's fine, it's just that TNT is a perfect example of the question I'm asking.

[408]

Using ever increasingly powerful nitration reagents.  Mononitro goes on without concentrated acids, IIRC, but by trinitro you are using fuming nitric or sulfuric acids.

Other heavily deactivated compounds (ex dichlorbenzene) can only be trinitrated under conditions with hot, fuming sulfuric acid.  For even more deactivated compounds, exotic reagents like nitronium tetrafluoroborate or dinitrogen pentoxide are used.