Benzene

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbÉ›nziːn/

Origin

A technical term in chemistry, adopted in English in 1835 as benzine (benzene from 1872), from German Benzin, which was coined in 1833 by Eilhardt Mitscherlich based on Benzoesäure "benzoic acid", plus the technical ending -ene (German -in) denoting hydrocarbons.

benzoic in turn is an adjective formed from benzoin, originally a term for a balsamic resin.

Full definition of benzene

Noun

1. (organic compound) An aromatic hydrocarbon of formula C₆H₆ whose structure consists of a ring of alternate single and double bonds.
• 2013, Philip J. Bushnell, Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance, Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer.
2. (organic chemistry, in combination) Sometimes used in place of the phenyl group.

Derived terms