CHM 124 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Styrene, Nylon, Cumene
Document Summary
The chemical substance benzene might not be a household name, but we encounter it more often than we think. It"s involved in various industrial processes to manufacture products we use on a daily basis, like plastics, dyes and glues, to mention a few. Benzene is used to manufacture glue and plastic bottles, and it is a component of gasoline. Benzene is a liquid that is colorless and flammable, with a sweet and gasoline-like odor. While it is a useful chemical substance, we must remember it is a toxic chemical, and continuous exposure to it can have cancerous effects. This is because benzene is a carcinogen, which means it"s a chemical or agent that can potentially cause cancer. The chemical formula of benzene is c6h6, so it has six carbon (c) atoms and six hydrogen (h) atoms. Its chemical structure can be described as a hexagon ring with alternating double bonds, as shown in this illustration.
