Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the chemical formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. As it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, benzene is classed as a hydrocarbon.

Benzene is a natural constituent of crude oil and is one of the elementary petrochemicals. Due to the cyclic continuous pi bond between the carbon atoms, benzene is classed as an aromatic hydrocarbon, the second [n]-annulene ([6]-annulene). It is sometimes abbreviated PhH.

How it's Made

Benzene is produced from five main sources:

Reformers: catalytic reforming of naphtha; Steam Crackers: recovery from ethylene plant pyrolysis gasoline; Hydrodealkylation (HDA): conversion of toluene and/or xylenes to benzene; Toluene Disproportionation (TDP): conversion of toluene to benzene and xylenes; Transalkylation (TA): conversion of toluene and C9/C10 aromatics to benzene and xylenes.

Volume of the available light naphtha is expected to continue to increase due to the growth of light shale oil in U.S.

What It's Used For

Benzene is an industrial chemical that has many commercial uses, and demand continues to grow despite increasing restrictions and environmental regulations. Creation of styrene monomer is the largest use of benzene, followed by cumene/phenol, cyclohexane, and nitrobenzene. Those derivatives are used to produce a wide range of plastics, fibers, resins and films. Benzene is also used as a major part of gasoline, and is an excellent solvent for waxes, resins, gums, rubber and various other organic materials, but toxicological properties greatly limit use.