Patent ID: 7265251

Claim:
A process comprising nitration of conjugated alkenes with a nitrating agent to obtain β-nitro-alkenes, wherein the conjugated alkenes are of formula wherein R is a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted phenyl, a linear or branched C 1 –C 4 alkyl; R 1 is a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched C 1 –C 4 alkyl, optionally substituted by an OH or C 1 –C 4 alkoxy group; R 2 , R 3 and R 4 , the same or different, are selected among hydrogen and halogen atoms, linear or branched C 1 –C 4 alkyl or alkoxy groups, carboxylic groups, aminocarbonyl groups, alkyloxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyl, mono- or di-alkylammocarbonyl, alkylcarbonylamino and alkylcarbonyloxy groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety; or two of R 2 , R 3 and R 4 , adjacent to each other, form a methylendioxy group; or R 1 together with R 2 forms a cyclic system with 5–7 atoms condensed with the aromatic ring and optionally containing an oxygen atom; or R 1 together with R forms a cyclic system with 5–7 atoms; the β-nitro-alkenes are of formula wherein R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 have the already reported meanings; and wherein the nitrating agent is a mixture of an inorganic nitrite and iodine in the presence of an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of peracids, hydrogen peroxide, and mixtures thereof.