Benzene at 200
In 1825, Michael Faraday discovered one of the most fascinating compounds in chemistry: benzene. While isolating the components of oily residues of illuminating gas, Faraday identified a mysterious liquid, with a peculiar aromatic smell, which would go on to transform the landscape of chemistry. Within the pages of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Faraday described this seemingly simple yet profoundly unique molecule. What set benzene apart, even in its earliest di