Claus' benzene (C
6H
6) is a hypothetical
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
and an
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...
of
benzene
Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...
. It was proposed by
Adolf Karl Ludwig Claus in 1867 as a possible structure for benzene at a time when the structure of benzene was still being debated. The molecule can be described as a hexagon with carbon atoms positioned at the corners, with each carbon connected to its two ''ortho'' carbons (the nearest carbons) and the one ''para'' carbon connected diametrically. High
strain energy
In physics, the elastic potential energy gained by a wire during elongation with a tensile (stretching) or compressive (contractile) force is called strain energy. For linearly elastic materials, strain energy is:
: U = \frac 1 2 V \sigma \v ...
makes its synthesis impossible. Although it is often referred to alongside
Dewar benzene and
prismane
Prismane or Ladenburg benzene is a polycyclic hydrocarbon with the formula C6H6. It is an isomer of benzene, specifically a valence isomer. Prismane is far less stable than benzene. The carbon (and hydrogen) atoms of the prismane molecule are ar ...
, it is not possible to synthesize it, while Dewar benzene and prismane can be.
References
{{Reflist
Isomerism
Hypothetical chemical compounds