Alkylbenzene

Toluene (or methylbenzene) is a common chemical found in chemistry laboratories.

An alkylbenzene is a chemical compound that contains a monocyclic aromatic ring attaching to one or more saturated hydrocarbon chains.[1] Alkylbenzenes are derivatives of benzene, in which one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by alkyl groups. The simplest member, toluene (or methylbenzene), has the hydrogen atom of the benzene ring replaced by a methyl group. The chemical formula of alkylbenzenes is CnH2n-6.[2]

Safety hazards of toluene. Oftentimes, toluene is used as an organic solvent.

Alkylbenzenes are a very important class of hydrocarbons, especially in the synthetic production industry. It is the raw material in the production of synthetic sulfonate detergents, which are found in a variety of household products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc. Linear alkylbenzenes (LAB) and branched alkylbenzenes (BAB) are families of alkylbenzene used to prepare synthetic sulfonates. However, LABs are more industrially favoured since the discovery of its extensive biodegradable yield over BAB-based sulfonates in the 1960s.[3]

  1. ^ Francis, Alfred W. (1948-02-01). "Properties of Alkylbenzenes". Chemical Reviews. 42 (1): 107–162. doi:10.1021/cr60131a003. ISSN 0009-2665. PMID 18904921.
  2. ^ Sazhin, S. S. (2022). Droplets and sprays : simple models of complex processes. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-99746-5. OCLC 1333919856.
  3. ^ Griesbaum, Karl; Behr, Arno; Biedenkapp, Dieter; Voges, Heinz-Werner; Garbe, Dorothea; Paetz, Christian; Collin, Gerd; Mayer, Dieter; Höke, Hartmut (2013-09-16), "Hydrocarbons", in Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA (ed.), Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, pp. 1–61, doi:10.1002/14356007.a13_227.pub2, ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2, S2CID 242394133, retrieved 2023-04-12