Key Facts

Other Names:

Methylbenzene; phenylmethane; toluol

Formula:

C₆H₅CH₃

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen

Compound Type:

Aromatic hydrocarbon (organic)

State:

Liquid

Molecular Weight:

92.14 g/mol

Melting Point:

−94.95°C (−138.9°F)

Boiling Point:

110.63°C (231.13°F)

Solubility:

Insoluble in water; miscible with ethyl alcohol, ether, acetone, and carbon disulfide

Overview

Toluene (TOL-yew-een) is a clear, colorless liquid with a benzene-like odor. It is an aromatic hydrocarbon, that is, a compound that contains carbon and hydrogen only, with the carbon atoms arranged in a ring. Aromatic compounds have structures based on that of benzene (C₆H₆). Toluene was discovered in 1838 by French chemist Pierre Joseph Pelletier (1788–1842). Pelletier found the compound in the gas emitted by the bark of the pine tree Pinus maritima. Pelletier named the substance retinnaphte, after pine resin. The compound was re-discovered a number of times in later years and given a variety of names, including heptacarbure quadihydrique, benzoene...