Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Five-Membered Heterocyclic Aromatic Compounds: Overview01:13

Five-Membered Heterocyclic Aromatic Compounds: Overview

6.0K
Heterocyclic aromatic compounds are cyclic compounds that are aromatic and have one or more heteroatoms—atoms other than carbon, in the ring. Depending upon the number of atoms present in the ring, they can be either five or six-membered. Examples of five-membered heterocyclic aromatic compounds include pyrrole, furan, thiophene, and imidazole. Pyrrole consists of one nitrogen atom having one lone pair of electrons. Furan and thiophene have one oxygen and one sulfur heteroatom,...
6.0K
Aromatic Compounds: Overview01:25

Aromatic Compounds: Overview

15.6K
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...
15.6K
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview01:18

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview

4.3K
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...
4.3K
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview01:18

Aromatic Hydrocarbon Anions: Structural Overview

4.3K
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...
4.3K
Criteria for Aromaticity and the Hückel 4n + 2 Rule01:20

Criteria for Aromaticity and the Hückel 4n + 2 Rule

14.8K
Like benzene, cyclobutadiene and cyclooctatetraene are cyclic compounds with alternate single and double bonds. However, their chemical behavior differs from benzene, as they are unstable and not aromatic. So, what are the structural characteristics of unsaturated compounds categorized as aromatic?  
For the first time, Eric Hückel, a German chemical physicist, derived a set of structural features for a compound to be classified as aromatic. This is now known as Hückel’s rule or the 4n +...
14.8K
NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds01:14

NMR Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds

6.7K
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.
6.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Identification of spatiotemporal behavior of organic micropollutants in an agricultural and urban lowland river catchment.

The Science of the total environment·2025
Same author

Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) extraction of urban soils: mass balance, bioaccessibility, and cancer risk assessment of 71 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from petrogenic and pyrogenic sources.

The Science of the total environment·2025
Same author

Varying extractability of petrogenic and pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in urban soils: Evaluation of sample preparation and extraction of 71 PAH and alkylated PAH.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2024
Same author

Polycyclic aromatic compounds including non-target and 71 target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in scrubber discharge water and their environmental impact.

Marine pollution bulletin·2024
Same author

Impact of different sterilisation techniques on sorption and NER formation of test chemicals in soil.

Chemosphere·2024
Same author

Unravelling mixed sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in urban soils by visual characterization of anthropogenic substrates and coal particles, 71 PAH and alkylated PAH patterns.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2023
Same journal

Time to Say Goodbye to the 16 EPA PAHs? Toward an Up-to-Date Use of PACs for Environmental Purposes.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds·2016
Same journal

The Occurrence of 16 EPA PAHs in Food - A Review.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds·2015
Same journal

Detection of Medium-Sized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons via Fluorescence Energy Transfer.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds·2015
Same journal

METHODS FOR AROMATIC AND HETEROCYCLIC AMINE CARCINOGEN-DNA ADDUCT ANALYSIS BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds·2009
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 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

16.3K

Overview of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAC).

Christine Achten1, Jan T Andersson2

  • 1Institute of Geology and Palaeontology - Applied Geology, University of Muenster , Muenster , Germany.

Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds
|January 30, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study provides a comprehensive overview of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic compounds, summarizing their properties and toxicological data. It highlights the limited knowledge on less common PACs, urging caution with estimated values.

Keywords:
environmental occurrencepolycyclic aromatic compoundspolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsproperties of polycyclic aromatic compoundstoxicity

More Related Videos

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
09:35

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units

Published on: September 18, 2016

12.2K
Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
05:48

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes

Published on: November 21, 2017

8.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 26, 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

16.3K
Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
09:35

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units

Published on: September 18, 2016

12.2K
Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
05:48

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes

Published on: November 21, 2017

8.7K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Toxicology
  • Chemical Information Science

Background:

  • Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs) encompass thousands of diverse chemical structures, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and NSO-PACs.
  • A comprehensive literature overview of PAC properties and toxicological data is lacking.
  • Understanding PAC behavior requires data on basic properties, physicochemical parameters, and toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compile and summarize essential data for a wide range of PACs, including less-studied compounds.
  • To provide a foundation for understanding PACs' environmental behavior and toxicological relevance.
  • To address the complexity of PAC nomenclature and suggest practical naming conventions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and data compilation of basic properties (names, CAS numbers, formulas, structures, molecular weights).
  • Summarization of physicochemical properties (boiling point, vapor pressure, solubility, log KOW, pKa).
  • Inclusion of selected toxicological data (carcinogenicity, mutagenicity) and correlation analyses of properties versus structural features (ring number, alkylation, functional groups).

Main Results:

  • A substantial summary of data for studied PACs, including physicochemical and toxicological information.
  • Identification of significant data gaps for less common PACs, such as higher molecular weight, alkylated, or substituted compounds.
  • Demonstration of correlations between PAC properties and structural characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a valuable resource for researchers working with PACs, particularly highlighting data limitations for less common compounds.
  • Caution is advised when using estimated values due to potential deviations from experimental data.
  • Further research is needed to expand the knowledge base on the vast array of PACs beyond the commonly studied ones.