Add 21g of nitroethane, 30g of vanillin, 12g anhydrous ammonium acetate, 63g of glacial acetic acid to a 1L round bottom flask (RBF). Begin stirring with a magnetic stirrer and keep covered until dissolved. Next begin refluxing gently but keep it from boiling. Reflux until a red color begins to form. Once this red color begins to form immediately remove from heat (Red is a sign of impurities forming). Flash cool the reaction mixture by dumping it into a beaker of ice. The product will begin to crystallize. Wash the reaction flask with some distilled water and add it to the ice beaker. Let the ice melt and the solids settle. Vacuum filter the product. Recrystallize the product with a 60:40 methanol:water solution. Vacuum filter the recrystallized solids and wash them with ice cold distilled water. Store product in freezer. Keep away from water and the product should be used within a few days in the next step because it is quite unstable.