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Physical Properties
- Benzene is a colorless liquid with a sweet, aromatic smell.
- It is volatile and highly flammable.
- Benzene has a low density and is lighter than water.
- Its melting point is just above freezing, and it boils at a relatively low temperature.
- It does not dissolve in water but is soluble in organic solvents like ethanol, ether, and chloroform.
Chemical Properties
- Benzene is very stable due to its special ring structure where electrons are shared evenly.
- Unlike typical double-bond compounds, it resists addition reactions.
- It mainly reacts by substituting hydrogen atoms with other groups in a controlled way.
- Benzene can burn with a sooty flame because it has a high carbon content.
- Under special conditions, it can be converted into a saturated ring (fully hydrogenated form).
Other Important Properties
- Benzene is aromatic and planar, meaning all its carbon atoms lie in the same plane.
- All carbon–carbon bonds are of equal length, intermediate between a single and a double bond.
- It is toxic and carcinogenic, so exposure should be avoided.