benzene

IPA/ˈbenziːn/
KK[bˈɛnzin]IPA/ˈbenziːn/

benzene — noun

1. a see-through, easily burning liquid with the formula C6H6, taken from oil or co

1.nounC1
Definition

a see-through, easily burning liquid with the formula C6H6, taken from oil or coal, and used as a starting material for plastics, dyes, and many other chemical products. It is also known to cause cancer if breathed in over long periods.

Example

Workers at the Kaohsiung refinery wear masks because benzene fumes can damage the blood over time.

domain: industrial / health context

Dr. Nia warned the students never to smell benzene directly from the open bottle.

Common collocations
  • benzene ring
  • benzene fumes
  • exposure to benzene
  • benzene derivative
Synonyms
  • benzol

    older industrial name for crude benzene, still used in coal-tar contexts

  • phenyl hydride

    rare technical name highlighting its structure as a hydrogen-bearing phenyl group

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable. Subject is usually a chemical or industrial topic; rarely takes adjectives of taste or smell beyond 'sweet' (its faint odour). Distinguish from 'benzine' (a fuel mixture) and 'benzoin' (a tree resin) — same prefix, different substances.

Common Mistakes

I added a benzene to the flask.
I added some benzene to the flask.
'benzene' is uncountable, so use 'some' or a measured amount, not 'a'.
The car runs on benzene.' (when meaning petrol)
The car runs on petrol.
in English, fuel for cars is 'petrol' (UK) or 'gasoline' (US); 'benzene' is the pure C6H6 chemical.

Word family

  • benzoyl
    nounC2
  • benzoic
    adjectiveC2
  • benzine
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words look or sound similar but name different substances. 'Benzene' is the pure aromatic chemical with formula C6H6, used as a building block for plastics and dyes; it is colourless, sweet-smelling, and a known carcinogen. 'Benzine' (with an i) is an old word for a light petroleum mixture used as a cleaning solvent — never the pure C6H6. 'Toluene' is benzene's close cousin (C6H5CH3), with an extra methyl group; it is much less harmful and is the main solvent in paint thinners and model glue. 'Gasoline' (US) or 'petrol' (UK) is a complex fuel blend that may contain a small percentage of benzene but is mostly larger hydrocarbons. Use 'benzene' only for the pure chemical: 'The lab kept benzene in a sealed cabinet,' not 'The car runs on benzene.'

benzene ↗benzinetoluenegasoline ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • benzene ring
  • benzene fumes
  • benzene derivative
  • benzene molecule
  • benzene poisoning

Phrases

  • levels of benzene in the air
  • trace amounts of benzene

Prepositions

  • exposure to benzene
  • made from benzene
  • derived from benzene

Etymology

ArabicItalianGermanEnglish

First isolated by the English scientist Michael Faraday in 1825 from the oily residue of lighting gas. The German chemist Eilhard Mitscherlich later prepared the same liquid from gum benzoin, a fragrant tree resin imported from Southeast Asia, and named it 'benzin' after the resin. English borrowed the name and reshaped it into 'benzene' to fit the chemical naming style used for hydrocarbons such as 'methylene' and 'ethylene'. The shared root traces back through Arabic 'lubān jāwī', meaning 'frankincense of Java', the original source of the resin.