Benzol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A clear hydrocarbon liquid with the molecular formula C6H6, it is commonly used as a solvent and is found in fuels
2. A colorless liquid hydrocarbon composed of six carbon atoms arranged in a ring, often employed as a solvent in chemical industries
3. A distinctive organic compound featuring a six-membered carbon ring with alternating double bonds, utilized mainly for dissolving substances

Etymology: Benzol is named for benzoin, the resin from which chemists first obtained the compound's relatives, and the "-ol" ending is the same one that appears in "alcohol" and "petrol." The "-ol" comes from "oil," not from the "-ol" of alcohols, so the name records the oily look of the liquid rather than any chemical resemblance to alcohol. The "benzo-" part comes from benzoin, a fragrant resin whose name in turn passed through Arabic and Latin before reaching European chemistry. The name is a deliberate chemical coinage built from older materials, and it reflects how early chemists grouped substances by the sources they came from rather than by their structure. Once the ring structure of the compound became understood, the old name stayed in use even though it no longer described anything about the molecule itself.