| Abstract: | The historical background and the admirable analytical procedure that led Michael Faraday to the discovery of benzene in 1825 are discussed. Using modern techniques of instrumental analysis, the author retraces the isolation and analysis of benzene, and shows that the starting material used by Faraday must have been a very complex mixture of hydrocarbons, which would make severe demands even on present-day preparative analytical techniques, since it contains more than 300 components at concentrations greater than 100 ppm. The magnitude of the changes in analytical techniques can be seen from the fact that it is no longer necessary to isolate individual compounds, and that a great deal of information can be obtained with a much smaller quantity of material and in a much shorter time. Nevertheless, Faraday's persistence, experimental skill, and accuracy of measurement remain an example to the analyst of today. |
