How benzene built the modern world, and exposed its hidden costs

Two centuries after its discovery, the simple yet revolutionary molecule benzene continues to shape our world. From being the gas that illuminated London in the 19th century to the cutting-edge materials it has afforded in the 21st, benzene’s journey is a compelling narrative of scientific ingenuity, industrial might, and a growing awareness of the profound responsibility that comes with chemical innovation.

In 1825, the English scientist Michael Faraday, renowned for his work in electricity and magnetism, isolated a new substance from the oily residue of the illuminating gas used to light London’s streets. When he found that it contained two parts carbon to one part hydrogen, he named it “bicarburet of hydrogen” and noted its unusual properties. (’Carburet’ denoted a compound of carbon