The main use of benzene is the synthesis of many other organic substances. The process during which a product can be obtained is the coking of coal. If you heat this raw material at high temperatures and at the same time limit the access of air, then many volatile combustion products will form, among which benzene is also emitted.
Substance formation
Scientist N.D. Zelinsky once proved that benzene can be obtained not only by coking coal. This substance can also be obtained from a product such as cyclohexane if the catalytic effect of platinum or palladium on this substance is observed (at a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius). In addition, a substance such as hexane can also be converted to benzene if the correct catalytic process and heating procedure are applied.
To date, operations such as the production of benzene from saturated hydrocarbons and cycloparaffins have gained great practical importance. This is due to the fact that the need for this substance is growing rapidly.
Use of volatile matter
The scope of benzene is quite extensive. The main focus was the production of other substances based on this reagent. So, for example, if you use the nitration reaction, you can get nitrobenzene, if you carry out the chlorination procedure, you can get chlorobenzene, which in life is most often called a solvent, as well as many other compounds.
The procedure for the use of benzene as a starting product for the creation of medicinal and aromatic substances was widely used. Often used in the synthesis of monomers for macromolecular compounds, to create dyes.
Derivatives of chlorine and benzene are currently successfully used in agriculture. Here they are used as chemical plant protection products. For example, a product in which hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine atoms, hexachlorobenzene, is actively used as a product for dry dressing of wheat and rye seeds.
Chemical industry
If we list the areas of use of benzene, then there are a lot of them. However, in some it plays one of the key roles, for example, in the chemical industry. Here, this component is one of the most popular, since it is the starting element for the production of many others, and is also a solvent in many operations. It is worth noting that benzene is able to dissolve almost any organic compound. Whereas in the first half of the 20th century, the use of benzene mainly accounted for the creation of such compounds as nitro and dinitro compounds, today ethylbenzene, cumene and cyclohexane have become the most common substances. 60% of all benzene falls on the creation of the first two elements.
Varieties of composition and their application
Pure benzene alone is practically not used. However, its derivatives have been very widely used.
Ethylbenzene, for example, is common as an intermediate component in the manufacture of styrene, and is also successfully used as an additive for motor fuel.
Of great interest is one of the new processes, using which you can get styrene directly from benzene. The use of this substance in combination with ethylene and a Pd catalyst during the oxidation process is such a method. It is worth noting that upon receipt of ethylbenzene, a side substance is released, which has come to be called diethylbenzene. By itself, this element is not too actively used, but with its help it became possible to obtain divinylbenzene, and already this component is a very valuable monomer for the production of ion exchange resins.
Another important component is cumene. This product is also a derivative of benzene, and it is used to create a substance - phenol, which has received wide practical application.
The use of benzene and its homologues
It is worth noting that there are a lot of substances that are formed using benzene.
Benzyl chloride is a product of chloromerization. He received the greatest distribution in the manufacture of benzyl alcohol, esters, dyes, etc.
Diphenylmethane is a substance obtained by the interaction of benzene with components such as benzyl chloride or formaldehyde. This product can be used as a fragrant substance, as it smells of geranium, or as a solvent for paints and varnishes.
Sulfo derivatives of benzene are also known. These products are intermediates whose primary purpose is to produce more complex intermediates. Based on certain benzenesulfonic acids, final compositions can be obtained that can be used in the manufacture of polymeric materials.
The use of benzene in medicine
The first attempts to use benzene in medicine were made a very long time ago. The first area where it was applied is oncohematology. The main idea behind benzene was to use it to treat a disease like leukemia. The speed of spreading this idea was enormous. In 1912, doctors around the world used this substance to treat bleeding in patients. At first, the substance was used only for oral administration. However, injection attempts were made pretty soon. By this time, the outbreak of the use of raw materials for medicinal purposes has already subsided. It turned out that nevertheless it is impossible to cure leukemia in this way. In addition, this chemical has many dangerous side effects.
However, while the composition was still in use, doctors highlighted some positive points. For example, benzene led to the fact that the number of white balls in the blood decreased significantly by the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd week. Red blood cells initially decreased in number, but then it quickly passed, and the number grew again. It was also noted that benzene is able to improve the leukemic composition of the blood in cases where the x-ray method was not able to cope.
However, as already mentioned, this method was quickly recognized as ineffective, dangerous.