Introduction

Aromatic hydrocarbons (also called Arenes) are cyclic hydrocarbons that form with alternating double and single bonds between the carbon atoms that form the ring.   The most popular aromatic hydrocarbon is called benzene (also known as a benzene ring) because it is the most basic hydrocarbon possible.   These types of ringed molecules are called aromatics because many of them are know for their sweet and pleasant odour.  Click on the following molecules to discover what aroma each molecule gives off.

Some non-benzene-based rings follow the  Hückel's rule (for monocyclic rings: when the number of its π-electrons equals 4n+2), are also called aromatic compounds.

In this lesson, you considered the following questions:

  • What is a cyclohydrocarbon?
  • What are aromatic compounds?
  • How do aromatic compounds differ from other hydrocarbons?
  • Why are there safety concerns associated with some aromatic compounds?
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