bĕnˈzēn, bĕnzēnˈ, colorless, flammable, toxic liquid with a pleasant aromatic odor. It boils at 80.1 degrees Celsius and solidifies at 5.5 degrees Celsius. Benzene is a hydrocarbon, with formula C₆H₆. The simplest picture of the benzene molecule, proposed by the German chemist Friedrich Kekulé (1865), is a hexagon of six carbon atoms joined by alternating single and double bonds and each bearing one hydrogen atom, symbolized by ⌬. However, modern studies have shown that the six carbon-carbon bonds are all of equal strength and distance; thus the double-bond electrons do not belong to any particular bonds but rather are delocalized about the ring, with the result that the strength of each bond is between that of a single bond and that of a double bond (see chemical bond).

Benzene is the parent substance of the aromatic compounds, a large and important group of organic compounds. It is the first of a series of hydrocarbons known as the benzene series, formed by the substitution of methyl groups, CH₃, for the hydrogen atoms of the benzene molecule. The second member of the series is toluene, C₆H₅CH₃, from which trinitrotoluene is derived, and the third member is xylene, C₆H₄(CH₃)₂, a solvent. In xylene and other benzene derivatives in which two of the hydrogens have been replaced, there are three possible arrangements of the substitution groups; in the ortho (o) configuration the groups are on adjacent carbon atoms, in the meta (m) configuration the groups are separated by one carbon atom, and in the para (p) configuration the groups are on opposite sides of the ring. The three forms of xylene (dimethylbenzene) are shown below:

In addition to derivatives formed by the substitution of other groups for one or more of the hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring, two or more rings may be joined together, as in naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene; or other atoms, such as nitrogen, may be substituted for carbon atoms in the ring, as in pyridine (C₅H₅N) and pyrimidine (C₄H₄N₂). Among the important derivatives of benzene are phenol, aniline, and picric acid. Benzene and the other aromatic hydrocarbons are obtained for industrial purposes from the distillation of coal tar, a byproduct in the manufacture of coke, and from petroleum by special reforming methods. They are used in the manufacture of plastics, synthetic rubber, dyes, and drugs. Benzene is a known carcinogen.

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