benzene

• benzine

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

• IPA^(key): /bɛnˈzɛ.nɛ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛnziːn/

benzene (usually uncountable, plural benzenes)

1. (organic chemistry) An aromatic hydrocarbon of formula C₆H₆ whose structure consists of a ring of alternate single and double bonds.
   • 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance”, in American Scientist:

     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.

(ring-shaped molecule composed of 6 carbon atoms and 6 hydrogen atoms):

• cyclohexane
• cyclohexene
• cycloalkane
• cycloalkene
• cyclohexatriene

• IPA^(key): /benˈd͡zɛ.ne/, [ben̪ˈd̪͡z̪ɛːn̺e]
• Hyphenation: ben‧zè‧ne

benzene m (plural benzeni)

1. (organic chemistry) benzene