the practice of this invention is advantageously one wherein alkyl has from 1 to 8 carbons preferably from 1 to 4 carbons most preferably methyl and represented by the structure str1 wherein r is hydrogen or alkyl having from 1 to 3 carbons preferably methyl the 1 3 bis alkylcarbonato benzene is advantageously prepared by contacting resorcinol with an alkyl haloformate under any conditions sufficient to form the desired 1 3 bis alkylcarbonato benzene for example suitable conditions for making the desired biscarbonates are described by meyers et al in tetrahedron lett 1375 1978 preferably the desired biscarbonates are formed by adding an alkyl haloformate most preferably methyl chloroformate to a reactor containing resorcinol 1 3 dihydroxybenzene and sodium hydroxide in a mixture of water and methylene chloride the reaction mixture is preferably maintained at a temperature at or below 15 u00b0 c the nitration step of the process of the present invention involves contacting a 1 3 bis alkylcarbonato benzene with a nitrating agent under conditions sufficient to form the corresponding 1 3 bis alkylcarbonato 4 6 dinitrobenzene any nitrating agent which will nitrate the 1 3 bis alkylcarbonato benzene at the 4 and 6 positions under the reaction conditions described herein can be utilized in the first step of.