4-Nitroaniline
A yellow chemical used to make dyes and other industrial products
No single value: 4-Nitroaniline is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
4-Nitroaniline is a yellow solid chemical, one of three forms of nitroaniline. It is used in industry to make dyes, especially as a step in creating p-phenylenediamine and Para Red, as well as in the production of other chemicals and medicines.
- A yellow solid used as a chemical intermediate
- Key ingredient in making p-phenylenediamine for dyes
- Used to produce Para Red, an early azo dye
- Toxic to humans and harmful to aquatic life
- Can be used in the carbon snake demonstration
What colour is 4-Nitroaniline?
4-Nitroaniline is a yellow organic compound that appears as a solid. It is one of three nitroaniline isomers, meaning it shares its basic structure with two other chemicals that differ in the position of their groups on the benzene ring. Its main use is as a building block in the chemical industry, especially for making dyes.
Where does 4-Nitroaniline come from?
The name 4-nitroaniline comes from its structure: a benzene ring with an amino group and a nitro group placed opposite each other. The '4' shows the positions of these groups. It was developed for use in making dyes and other chemicals, rather than being found in nature.
How is 4-Nitroaniline made?
Industrially, 4-nitroaniline is made by reacting 4-nitrochlorobenzene with ammonia. In the lab, it can be made from aniline through a series of steps, including protecting the amino group, adding the nitro group, and then removing the protection. Careful separation is needed to remove small amounts of other isomers formed during the process.
Where 4-Nitroaniline is used
This compound is mainly used to make other chemicals, especially dyes. It is a key starting point for p-phenylenediamine, which is important in dye production. It is also involved in making Para Red, a well-known dye, and other related chemicals. In demonstrations, it can be used in the 'carbon snake' experiment, though this must be done with care due to its hazards.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagAt the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiThe national football team plays in a yellow shirt with green trim, the canarinho. It was chosen in a newspaper contest after the 1950 World Cup final was lost in white.
Festival and celebrationPrideJoySource: Brazil national football teamShades and relatives of 4-Nitroaniline
There are two other nitroaniline isomers: 2-nitroaniline and 3-nitroaniline, which differ in the position of the nitro group on the benzene ring. 4-Nitroaniline is sometimes confused with these, but its uses and properties are distinct.
Questions people ask about 4-Nitroaniline
What colour is 4-nitroaniline?
4-Nitroaniline is a yellow solid. Its colour makes it useful as a starting point for making dyes.
Where does the name 4-nitroaniline come from?
The name refers to its chemical structure: a benzene ring with an amino group and a nitro group at opposite positions, known as the 1 and 4 positions.
What is 4-nitroaniline used for?
It is mainly used to make dyes and other chemicals, including p-phenylenediamine and Para Red, and is also used in laboratory experiments.
Is 4-nitroaniline dangerous?
Yes, it is toxic if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin, and is also harmful to aquatic life.
Good reading and sources
- 4-Nitroaniline on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "4-Nitroaniline", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
More of the yellow family
All of yellow
#FFFF00
Yellow
A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour · 🇫🇷 France +5
Yellow
Orpiment
A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5
Yellow
Tartrazine
A synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in food, cosmetics and medicinesDye
#E49B0F
Gamboge
A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment · 🇰🇭 Cambodia +5
#E3A857
Indian Yellow
A clear, glowing orange-yellow pigment once made in India from cow urinePigment · 🇮🇳 India
#FADA5E
Naples yellow
A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1
#FFA700
Chrome yellow
A bright yellow pigment made from lead chromate, once popular in art and industryPigment
#006B3C
Cadmium pigments
A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment