BRAINCAKEBenzene
Benzene, C6H6, is the simplest arene. Compounds that contain a benzene ring are called arenes or aromatic compounds; the name comes from the strong smells of many early examples. Its empirical formula is CH.
Benzene is a colourless liquid at room temperature (boiling point 80 °C). It is toxic and a known carcinogen, so in school laboratories it is usually replaced by safer arenes such as methylbenzene.
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Key terms in this lesson
- electrophilic substitution
- A reaction in which an electrophile replaces an atom, usually hydrogen, on an aromatic ring, keeping the delocalised ring intact.
More in Aromatic Chemistry
- The Kekulé Model
- The Delocalised Model of Benzene
- Evidence for Delocalisation - Enthalpy of Hydrogenation
- Naming Aromatic Compounds
- Electrophilic Substitution
- Nitration of Benzene
- Mechanism of Nitration
- Uses of Nitration
All 11 lessons in Aromatic Chemistry · All AQA A-level Chemistry topics