Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids (BPCA)
08:12

Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids (BPCA)

Published on: May 16, 2016

Aromatic hydrocarbons in the murchison meteorite.

K L Pering, C Ponnamperuma

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |July 16, 1971
    PubMed
    Summary

    Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons were found in the Murchison meteorite. Their distribution suggests formation through high-temperature synthesis, offering insights into extraterrestrial organic chemistry.

    More Related Videos

    Isolation of Mandibular Gland Reservoir Contents from Bornean 'Exploding Ants' (Formicidae) for Volatilome Analysis by GC-MS and MetaboliteDetector11:07

    Isolation of Mandibular Gland Reservoir Contents from Bornean 'Exploding Ants' (Formicidae) for Volatilome Analysis by GC-MS and MetaboliteDetector

    Published on: August 26, 2018

    Analyzing Melts and Fluids from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations with the UMD Package06:37

    Analyzing Melts and Fluids from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations with the UMD Package

    Published on: September 17, 2021

    Related Concept Videos

    Aromatic Compounds: Overview01:25

    Aromatic Compounds: Overview

    In general, the term ‘aromatic’ indicates a pleasant smell or fragrance from fresh flowers, freshly prepared coffee, etc. In the early history of organic chemistry, many benzene derivatives were isolated from the pleasant odor oils of the plants. For example, vanillin was isolated from the oil of vanilla, methyl salicylate from the oil of wintergreen, and cinnamaldehyde from the oil of cinnamon. They all had a pleasant odor; hence the name aromatic was given.
    In 1825, Faraday isolated benzene...
    Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview01:18

    Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview

    Neutral hydrocarbons like cyclopentadiene with an odd number of carbon atoms and one intervening CH2 group in the ring are not aromatic. Cyclopentadiene with 4 π electrons does not satisfy the 4n + 2 π electron rule. Additionally, the intervening CH2 group is sp3 hybridized and lacks a vacant p orbital, thereby interrupting the overlap of p orbitals in a continuous manner and preventing the delocalization of π electrons throughout the ring.
    Due to the absence of continuous overlap of p...
    Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview01:18

    Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview

    Cycloheptatriene is a neutral monocyclic unsaturated hydrocarbon that consists of an odd number of carbon atoms and an intervening sp3 carbon in the ring. The three double bonds in the ring correspond to 6 π electrons, which is a Huckel number, and therefore satisfies the criteria of 4n + 2 π electrons. However, the intervening sp3 carbon disrupts the continuous overlap of p orbitals. As a result, cycloheptatriene is not aromatic.
    Removing one hydrogen from the intervening CH2 group with both...
    Mass Spectrometry: Aromatic Compound Fragmentation01:23

    Mass Spectrometry: Aromatic Compound Fragmentation

    Upon ionization, aromatic compounds generate a molecular ion that is observed as a prominent peak in their mass spectra. For example, the molecular ion peak for benzene appears at a mass-to-charge ratio of 78, while toluene is observed at a mass-to-charge ratio of 92. The molecular ion benzene is highly stable and does not readily undergo further fragmentation due to the significant amount of energy required to disrupt the aromatic stability of the benzene ring. In contrast, the molecular ion...
    NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds01:14

    NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds

    Aromatic compounds can be identified or analyzed using proton NMR and carbon‐13 NMR. Typically, aromatic hydrogens or hydrogens directly bonded to the aromatic rings are strongly deshielded by the aromatic ring current. Therefore, they absorb in the range of 6.5–8.0 ppm in proton NMR spectra. For instance, aromatic hydrogens directly bonded to the benzene ring absorb at 7.3 ppm. However, aromatic hydrogens of larger rings absorb farther upfield or downfield than the ideal range. Consider...
    Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation01:05

    Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation

    In mass spectrometry, cycloalkanes exhibit distinct fragmentation patterns due to the inherent stability of their molecular ions compared to linear or branched alkanes. The ring structure of cycloalkanes provides additional stability to the molecular ions, often resulting in prominent ion peaks in the mass spectrum.
    For example, cyclohexane molecular ions have a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 84, which tends to produce a stronger signal than linear alkanes like hexane. This stability comes from...