Two new acidic ionic liquids catalysts-HNIL·NO₃^- and HNIL·HSO₄^- were employed as Lewis acid catalysts for nitration of toluene. The effects of kind of catalyst, dosage of catalyst, nitrated reaction time and temperature, acetic anhydride and recovered catalyst, etc. on the selectivity of nitration of toluene were investigated. With 95% nitric acid as nitrating reagent and CCl₄ as solvent at the presence of acetic anhydride. The results show high selectivity when the temperature is controlled at 55 ℃, and the nitrated reaction time is 60 min. The o/p (ratio of ortho to paro isomer of toluene nitration ) ratio is 1.12 in product distribution of toluene nitration. It is lower than1.67 using sulfonitric acid as catalyst. The yield of products is 99.4%. The catalyst can be reutilized up to five times with little decrease in activity．