The alkylbenzenes are derivatives of
benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms ...
, in which one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by
alkyl group
In organic chemistry, an alkyl group is an alkane missing one hydrogen.
The term ''alkyl'' is intentionally unspecific to include many possible substitutions.
An acyclic alkyl has the general formula of . A cycloalkyl is derived from a cycloalk ...
s of different sizes. They are a subset of the
aromatic hydrocarbons
Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past groupin ...
. The simplest member is
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) ...
, in which a hydrogen atom of the benzene was replaced by a
methyl group
In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in ma ...
.
Literature
* Allinger, Cava, de Jongh, Johnson, Lebel, Stevens: ''Organische Chemie'', 1. Auflage, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1980, , pp. 367–368, 560–562.
* Streitwieser / Heathcock: ''Organische Chemie'', 1. Auflage, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1980, , pp. 1051, 1073–1080.
* Beyer / Walter: ''Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie'', 19. Auflage, S. Hirzel Verlag, Stuttgart 1981, , pp. 442–444.
* Morrison / Boyd: ''Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie'', 3. Auflage, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1986, , pp. 707–728.
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