Why Benzene is Aromatic?
To check if a given compound is aromatic or not we apply Huckel rule. In 1931, German chemist and physicist Erich Huckel proposed a theory to help and determine if a planar ring molecule would have aromatic properties. According to Huckel rule, for a ring to be aromatic it should satisfy the following properties mentioned below:
- Compound Should be planar.
- Complete delocalization of the π electrons in the ring.
- Presence of (4n + 2) π electrons in the ring where n is an integer (n = 0 , 1, 2, 3 ……….).
If we check above three properties for Benzene, benzene satisfies all the three properties.
- Benzene is a planar compound
- It has delocalized π electrons over the ring.
- Benzene has 6 π electron which is equal to (4n+2) π electron if we put n = 1.
Hence, Benzene is an aromatic compound.
Benzene Formula
Benzene is a simple cyclic aromatic compound, which is made of hydrogen and oxygen. Benzene consists of an equal number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The formula of Benzene is C6H6. The structure of benzene is a closed ring-like structure that resembles a hexagon with alternate single and double bonds between the carbon atoms.
Benzene is an important compound in Organic Chemistry as many compounds are derived from this using various reactions. Benzene has ill health effects in case of overexposure.
In this article, we are going to learn what benzene is, where benzene is found, the discovery of benzene, the characteristics of benzene, uses of benzene, and the ill effects of benzene on health in detail.
Table of Content
- What is Benzene?
- Structure of Benzene
- Resonance of Benzene
- Characteristics of Benzene
- Why Benzene is Aromatic?
- Chemical Reactions of Benzene