Adjacent Words

benzene definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a colorless liquid hydrocarbon; highly inflammable; carcinogenic; the simplest of the aromatic compounds [syn: benzene, benzine, benzol]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary benz- + -ene Date: 1835 a colorless volatile flammable toxic liquid aromatic hydrocarbon C₆H₆ used in organic synthesis, as a solvent, and as a motor fuel • benzenoid adjective or noun

Britannica Concise

Simplest aromatic hydrocarbon (see aromatic compound), parent substance of a large class of chemical compounds. It was discovered in 1825 by M. Faraday. The chemical formula is C6H6; A. Kekulé in 1865 was the first to propose the correct structure, a six-membered ring of carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom bonded to it (see bonding). Although benzene is often represented with alternating single and double bonds between carbon atoms, the electrons in the bonds are shared or delocalized in such a way as to make all carbon atoms alike. Benzene is a colorless, mobile liquid with a characteristic odor. An excellent solvent, it is also widely used as a starting material for many plastics, dyes, detergents, insecticides, and other industrial chemicals. Benzene is highly toxic, and long exposure may cause leukemia.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a colourless carcinogenic volatile liquid found in coal tar, petroleum, etc., and used as a solvent and in the manufacture of plastics etc. Usage: Chem. formula: C6H6 Phrases and idioms: benzene ring the hexagonal unsaturated ring of six carbon atoms in the benzene molecule. Derivatives: benzenoid adj. Etymology: BENZOIC + -ENE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Benzene Ben"zene, n. [From Benzoin.] (Chem.) A volatile, very inflammable liquid, C6H6, contained in the naphtha produced by the destructive distillation of coal, from which it is separated by fractional distillation. The name is sometimes applied also to the impure commercial product or benzole, and also, but rarely, to a similar mixed product of petroleum.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Benzene is a clear, colourless liquid which is used to make plastics.