Chemistry ISU

Submitted By: Kyle Hall, Zachary Martella

Submitted To: Mr Spensieri

Course Code: SCH 3U2

Date: Friday June 19​th​, 2020

 Benzene is a widely used industrial chemical that is naturally produced by

volcanoes and forest fires, but is also manufactured from aromatic acids, such as

benzoic, through decarboxylation reaction. Through the process of the decarboxylation

reaction, benzene is made when the sodium salt from benzoic acid is heated with soda

lime. Benzene can be found in items that we use every day, such as glue, paint

strippers, tobacco smoke, and cleaning products. Benzene can also be used in crude oil

and in gasoline. It's used in industries to make plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, rubber

lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides. Although Benzene may seem like a

very useful chemical, it can be very dangerous as well as very reactive. Benzene can

quickly evaporate from water or soil, meaning benzene can contaminate nearby

drinking water wells if it leaks from a buried storage tank or landfill. In the atmosphere,

benzene can react with other chemicals to create smog. This is an important issue

considering Benzene is a poisonous substance, and can be harmful to us as well as to

animals, plants, and the environment. This can be concerning since Benzene can be

contracted in many ways. For example, breathing air that contains benzene (exhaust

fumes, smoking, or by breathing second hand cigarette smoke), drinking water or eating

foods that have been contaminated, coming into contact with products such as petrol

(which can enter the body if it touches the skin directly), living near industries that

produce or use benzene, or working in an industry where benzene is produced or used.

There are many ways in which Benzene can be harmful towards us, animals,

plants, and the environment. Benzene can cause drowsiness, headaches, and
dizziness to people who have got in contact with it. Benzene is also well known for

causing long term risks of developing leukemia, anemia, and weakening of the immune

system. With mammals, inhaling benzene can damage reproductive organs and cause

infertility. When fishes and any form of aquatic life come in contact with benzene in

lakes and oceans, it makes them sick and can stop them from having babies as well as

altering their behaviour, changing their appearance and shortening their lives. When

plants are exposed to benzene, their growth can be slowed down and they may even

die. With all these concerning facts regarding the dangers of inhaling or coming in

contact with benzene, it’s important and also good to know that there are tests to see if

you have Benzene inside your body. Tests will see if there was any contraction with

Benzene that your body may have, but there is no way of telling or even predicting what

sort of illness will come from the Benzene reacting in your body since Benzene breaks

down in the body to several other compounds. Test will consist of urine and blood

samples to see the breakdown of Benzene in your body.

The main source of manufacturing benzene is catalytic reforming. Catalytic

reforming uses intense heat, immense pressure and a catalyst to rearrange/reform the

structure of hydrocarbon molecules. Many typical chemical reactions that will occur

during catalytic reforming include: the isomerization and dehydrocyclization of alkanes;

the dehydrogenation of cyclohexanes to aromatic hydrocarbons; and the isomerization

and dehydrogenation of alkyl cyclopentane. Though the process is not perfect and not

the most environmentally friendly process it prevents a larger mass of waste. The
hydrogen which is produced due to the refinery process is then collected, and recycled.

It is once again used in other refinery methods such as hydrodesulfurization process.

Citations

National Pollutant Inventory

http://www.npi.gov.au/resource/benzene#:~:text=What%20effect%20does%20benzene

%20have,to%20contaminate%20water%20and%20soil.

EKU Online

https://safetymanagement.eku.edu/blog/top-hazardous-materials-in-american-industries

Independent Commodity Intelligence Services

https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2007/11/01/9075160/benzene-production-

and-manufacturing-process/#:~:text=The%20main%20sources%20now%20are,and%20

toluene%20disproportionation%20(TDP).&text=In%20the%20US%2C%20catalytic%20r

eforming%20is%20a%20major%20source%20of%20benzene.

Petropedia

https://www.petropedia.com/definition/8670/reforming-process

Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/science/inversion-chemical-reaction