Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Aromatic hydrocarbons are those which contain one or more benzene rings. The name of the class come from the fact that many of them have strong, pungent aromas. Symbolic structures of some common aromatic hydrocarbons are shown below. Those hydrocarbons which do not contain a benzine ring are called aliphatic hydrocarbons.

A vast number of aromatic compounds can be produced by substitutions for one or more of the ring hydrogens.

Aromatic Compounds

A sampling of the vast array of aromatic hydrocarbons.