Abstract: A new approach has been worked out for carboxylation of nitrotoluene. o-Nitrotoluene or p-nitrotoluene was converted into the corresponding nitrophenylacetic acids by treatiag the nitr ocompound with alkaline salts of phenol and carbon dioxide in an aprotic dipolar solvent. The reaction occurs at 60-80℃ and atmospheric pressure and when mol ratio of alkaline salts of phenol with nitrotoluene attains 4:1, nitrophenylacetic acid. can be obtained quantitatively The carboxylation of m-nitrotoluene failed of success under the same conditions.