Get to know whether benzene is a hydrocarbon

Is benzene a hydrocarbon is a question that is often asked in chemistry. It can be defined as a carbon atom that is attached to two hydrogen atoms and one other carbon atom. It is classified as a topologically non-linear chemical compound. Benzene (C₆H₆) can exist as planar or any of the three forms of cyclic compounds, depending on the number of different groups attached to the benzene rings. Benzene with one group attached is called a phenyl group and will have an isolated double bond, while benzene with two groups attached would have an isolated triple bond and finally benzene with three groups are called cumulenes which will have an isolated quartet of bonds - hence having maximum conjugation possible for single-bonded systems.

Use of is benzene

1. As a solvent

Many organic compounds are known to be liquid at room temperature. However, benzene is the only hydrocarbon (a carbon-bearing molecule with hydrogen substituents attached) that can be a liquid at room temperature. Benzene can dissolve many types of material, such as oils and alcohols.

Because of this, benzene is often used as a solvent in toxicology investigations. For example: its use in the Marie Curie Radium Institute in Paris was to dissolve radioactive compounds - more on this later in this paper.

2. As a gas

Benzene vapor is used as an industrial feedstock and chemical precursor in the production of numerous commercial products. Chief among these is styrene - a key ingredient in modern synthetic polymers. Styrene is polymerised to make polystyrene, which is used to make consumer goods such as disposable cutlery, plastic buckets and food containers, toys, CD cases and car parts.

3. As an additive

Benzene has been added to fuel for many years because it burns with no soot emission. It has also been used for lead reduction in petrol for many years. It reduces the emission of a new class of pollutants known as lea Pb.

Benzene is also used as an additive in unleaded petrol to keep benzene levels below the limit set by law. This law was introduced to protect vehicles that are not designed to run on leaded petrol. It is there answers the question is benzene a hydrocarbon?

4. As a fuel source

Before the transition from coal-fired power stations to natural gas, benzene was used as a feedstock for chemical production and fuel for electrical power generation. In fact, until recently, it was still being used as fuel in some European countries including France and Germany.

In France, it was used in the nuclear power station at Lucens. More details on this later.

5. As a pesticide

Benzene is one of the most toxic of all the hydrocarbons. It is a highly toxic agent that can be absorbed through the skin, which makes it dangerous to work with. This reason is why it was used in pesticides during the Second World War to kill insects like mosquitos and flies that spread diseases such as typhus.

6. As a medicine

When distilled from benzene, for example in order to obtain terephthalic acid for use in polyester polyesters, other compounds such as formaldehyde have been observed or suspected carcinogens. These carcinogenic compounds are what makes benzene so dangerous.

It has been used as a carcinogen and part of many other cancer-causing substances. Before it was discovered that benzene caused cancer, it was often used as a medicine for things such as sore throats, headaches and colds.

7. As a refrigerant

Benzene has been and is still used as an alternative to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a refrigerant in refrigerators and freezers. Because of its volatileness, it spreads evenly across the surfaces it is being used on. CFCs are, however, inert and do not mix with air which can prove problematic when they leak into the atmosphere. For example: if they leak from a refrigerator and go into the ozone layer, they can cause severe damage to the ozone layer. This use clearly answera the question is benzene a hydrocarbon?

8. As an anti-knock additive

Benzene is used as an anti-knock additive in both leaded and unleaded petrol. In a modern spark-ignition engine, fuel vapour ignites by the heat of the spark plug. The smaller the quantity of vapour, the more complete and thus more efficient is combustion. To allow for complete combustion when using leaded petrol with high lead content it was necessary to add compounds that were able to increase distribution of species in a petrol blend that could burn completely when using 100 octane RON unleaded petrol. Adding benzene was one way of doing this which reduce knock significantly.

The above are just some of the uses of benzene. It also answers the question, is benzene a hydrocarbon? by showing how there are many uses for it. It also shows how it is necessary for many things that we use. If benzene was not as good of a solvent, as inexpensive to make and as versatile a chemical then certain products would not be able to be made which results in us not being able to use them.