Chemical name: Benzene

IUPAC name: Benzene

Formula: C₆H₆

Appearance: Colorless liquid

Uses:

• Benzene is used mainly as an intermediate to make other chemicals, above all ethylbenzene, cumene, cyclohexane, nitrobenzene, and alkylbenzene.
• More than half of the entire benzene production is processed into ethylbenzene, a precursor to styrene, which is used to make polymers and plastics like polystyrene and EPS.
• Some 20% of the benzene production is used to manufacture cumene, which is needed to produce phenol and acetone for resins and adhesives.