Benzo 'c''henanthrene is a

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. ...

with the

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

C₁₈H₁₂. It is a white solid that is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. It is a nonplanar molecule consisting of the fusion of four fused

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 ato ...

rings. The compound is of mainly theoretical interest but it is environmentally occurring and weakly

carcinogen A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive subst ...

ic.

References

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons IARC Group 2B carcinogens Tetracyclic compounds {{hydrocarbon-stub