17.2: The Structure and Properties of Benzene and its Derivatives

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    Benzene

    Benzene, C6H6, is the simplest member of a large family of hydrocarbons, called aromatic hydrocarbons. These compounds contain ring structures and exhibit bonding that must be described using the resonance hybrid concept of valence bond theory or the delocalization concept of molecular orbital theory. (To review these concepts, refer to the earlier chapters on chemical bonding). The resonance structures for benzene, C6H6, are:

    This structural formula shows a six carbon hydrocarbon ring. On the left side there are six C atoms. The C atom on top and to the left forms a single bond to the C atom on the top and to the right. The C atom has a double bond to another C atom which has a single bond to a C atom. That C atom has a double bond to another C atom which has a single bond to a C atom. That C atom forms a double bond with another C atom. Each C atom has a single bond to an H atom. There is a double sided arrow and the structure on the right is almost identical to the structure on the left. The structure on the right shows double bonds where the structure on the left showed single bonds. The structure on the right shows single bonds where the stucture on the left showed double bonds.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{10}\).
    A six carbon hydrocarbon ring structural formula is shown. Each C atom is bonded to only one H atom. A circle is at the center of the ring.
    Figure : This diagram shows the unique bonding structure of benzene.

    There are many derivatives of benzene. The hydrogen atoms can be replaced by many different substituents. Aromatic compounds more readily undergo substitution reactions than addition reactions; replacement of one of the hydrogen atoms with another substituent will leave the delocalized double bonds intact. The following are typical examples of substituted benzene derivatives:

    Three structural formulas are shown. The first is labeled toluene. This molecule has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which five of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right of the ring, the C atom that does not have a bonded H atom has a red C H subscript 3 group attached. A circle is at the center of the ring. The second is labeled xylene. This molecule has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right and right of the ring, the two C atoms that do not have bonded H atoms have C H subscript 3 groups attached. These C H subscript 3 groups appear in red. A circle is at the center of the ring. The third is labeled styrene. This molecule has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which five of the carbon atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right of the ring, the carbon that does not have a bonded H atom has a red C H double bond C H subscript 2 group attached. A circle is at the center of the ring.

    Toluene and xylene are important solvents and raw materials in the chemical industry. Styrene is used to produce the polymer polystyrene.

    Example: Structure of Aromatic Hydrocarbons

    One possible isomer created by a substitution reaction that replaces a hydrogen atom attached to the aromatic ring of toluene with a chlorine atom is shown here. Draw two other possible isomers in which the chlorine atom replaces a different hydrogen atom attached to the aromatic ring:

    Two structural formulas are shown. The first has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the carbon atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right of the ring, the carbon that does not have a bonded H atom has a C H subscript 3 group attached. The C to the lower right has a C l atom attached. A circle is at the center of the ring. The second molecule has a hexagon with a circle inside. From a vertex of the hexagon at the upper right a C H subscript 3 group is attached. From the vertex at the lower right, a C l atom is attached.

    Solution

    Since the six-carbon ring with alternating double bonds is necessary for the molecule to be classified as aromatic, appropriate isomers can be produced only by changing the positions of the chloro-substituent relative to the methyl-substituent:

    Two pairs of structural formulas are shown. The first has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right of the ring, the C atom that does not have a bonded H atom has a C H subscript 3 group attached. The C atom to the right has a C l atom attached. A circle is at the center of the ring. The second molecule in the first pair has a hexagon with a circle inside. From a vertex of the hexagon at the upper right a C H subscript 3 group is attached. From the vertex at the right, a C l atom is attached. The second pair first shows a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. A C l atom is attached to the left-most C atom and a C H subscript 3 group is attached to the right-most C atom. A circle is at the center of the ring. The second molecule in the pair has a hexagon with a circle inside. A C H subscript 3 group is attached to a vertex on the right side of the hexagon and to a vertex on the left side, a C l atom is bonded.

    Exercise

    1. Draw three isomers of a six-membered aromatic ring compound substituted with two bromine atoms.

    Answer

    Three pairs of structural formulas are shown. The first has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right and right of the ring, the two C atoms that do not have bonded H atoms have one B r atom bonded each. A circle is at the center of the ring. Beneath this structure, a similar structure is shown which has a hexagon with a circle inside. From vertices of the hexagon at the upper right and right single B r atoms are attached. The second has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right and lower right of the ring, the two C atoms that do not have bonded H atoms have a single B r atom bonded each. A circle is at the center of the ring. Beneath this structure, a similar structure is shown which has a hexagon with a circle inside. From vertices of the hexagon at the upper right and lower right single B r atoms are attached. The third has a six carbon hydrocarbon ring in which four of the C atoms are each bonded to only one H atom. At the upper right and lower left of the ring, the two C atoms that do not have bonded H atoms have B r atoms bonded. A circle is at the center of the ring. Beneath this structure, a similar structure is shown which has a hexagon with a circle inside. From vertices of the hexagon at the upper right and lower left, single B r atoms are attached.

    Larger Arenes

    Most arenes that contain a single six-membered ring are volatile liquids, such as benzene and the xylenes, although some arenes with substituents on the ring are solids at room temperature. In the gas phase, the dipole moment of benzene is zero, but the presence of electronegative or electropositive substituents can result in a net dipole moment that increases intermolecular attractive forces and raises the melting and boiling points. For example, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, a compound used as an alternative to naphthalene in the production of mothballs, has a melting point of 52.7°C, which is considerably greater than the melting point of benzene (5.5°C).

    Certain aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene and benz[a]pyrene, are potent liver toxins and carcinogens. In 1775, a British physician, Percival Pott, described the high incidence of cancer of the scrotum among small boys used as chimney sweeps and attributed it to their exposure to soot. His conclusions were correct: benz[a]pyrene, a component of chimney soot, charcoal-grilled meats, and cigarette smoke, was the first chemical carcinogen to be identified.

    alt

    Although arenes are usually drawn with three C=C bonds, benzene is about 150 kJ/mol more stable than would be expected if it contained three double bonds. This increased stability is due to the delocalization of the π electron density over all the atoms of the ring. Compared with alkenes, arenes are poor nucleophiles. Consequently, they do not undergo addition reactions like alkenes; instead, they undergo a variety of electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions that involve the replacement of –H on the arene by a group –E, such as –NO2, –SO3H, a halogen, or an alkyl group, in a two-step process. The first step involves addition of the electrophile (E) to the π system of benzene, forming a carbocation. In the second step, a proton is lost from the adjacent carbon on the ring:

    c7386cfc83d6dfd41157dce9cbf0b677.jpg

    The carbocation formed in the first step is stabilized by resonance.

    Arenes undergo substitution reactions rather than elimination because of increased stability arising from delocalization of their π electron density.

    Many substituted arenes have potent biological activity. Some examples include common drugs and antibiotics such as aspirin and ibuprofen, illicit drugs such as amphetamines and peyote, the amino acid phenylalanine, and hormones such as adrenaline as shown below.

    708616318905ee7f9ac49581868f1e68.jpg
    Figure: Biologically Active Substituted Arenes; Chiral centers are indicated with an asterisk.

    Aspirin (antifever activity), ibuprofen (antifever and anti-inflammatory activity), and amphetamine (stimulant) have pharmacological effects. Phenylalanine is an amino acid. Adrenaline is a hormone that elicits the “fight or flight” response to stress.

    Physical Properties

    The physical properties of aromatic compounds are similar to other hydrocarbons. As hydrocarbons, the dominant IMF is the London Dispersion Force. This relatively weak IMF results in more volatile compounds which led to the term "aromatic". Chemists can frequently recognize the presence of an aromatic compound by simply smelling its aroma.

    Contributors and Attributions

    17.2: The Structure and Properties of Benzene and its Derivatives is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.