Ring hydrogenation
Benzene gives cyclohexane through ring hydrogenation.
- Reagents
- Hydrogen; nickel catalyst
- Conditions
- Elevated temperature and hydrogen pressure
- Reaction class
- Ring hydrogenation
- Equation
- C6H6 + 3H2 -> C6H12
Overview
Benzene gives cyclohexane through ring hydrogenation.
Transformation
- Equation
- C6H6 + 3H2 -> C6H12
- Reactants
- Benzene + 3 Hydrogen
- Products
- Cyclohexane
- Reagents
- Hydrogen; nickel catalyst
- Environment
- Elevated temperature and hydrogen pressure
- Reaction class
- Ring hydrogenation
- Mechanism
- ring hydrogenation
- Evidence level
- source-backed molecular example
Scope and limitations
- Scope
- Named benzene example; not a class-wide route prediction.
- Limitations
- Aromaticity is lost. The source reports variable pressure values; no single pressure is asserted here.
Related reactions
- Combustion: Benzene → Carbon dioxide
Benzene combusts to carbon dioxide and water and tends to burn with a smoky flame.
- Bromination: Benzene → Halogenoarenes
Benzene undergoes bromination with a halogen carrier catalyst to form bromobenzene.
- Nitration: Benzene → Nitroarenes
Benzene is nitrated by concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids to form nitrobenzene.
- Friedel Crafts alkylation: Benzene → Alkylarenes
Friedel-Crafts alkylation attaches an alkyl group to benzene.
- Friedel Crafts acylation: Benzene → Acylbenzenes
Friedel-Crafts acylation attaches an acyl group to benzene.
- Nitration: Benzene → Nitrobenzene
Benzene gives nitrobenzene through nitration.
References
- Reactions of benzene and methylbenzeneJim Clark · Chemguide · 2025
Named molecular transformation examples, checked 2026-09-08.