Which statement about benzene is correct?

Which statement about benzene is correct?

• A. It contains six carbon atoms, six pi bonds delocalized, and all carbons are sp2.
• B. It contains eight carbon atoms.
• C. It has only single bonds.
• D. It lacks pi bonds.

Answer: (A)

Benzene is best understood as an aromatic, planar ring with a delocalized π electron system. It has six carbon atoms arranged in a hexagon, and each carbon is sp2 hybridized, forming three sigma bonds (two to neighbors and one to hydrogen). The unhybridized p orbitals on all six carbons overlap around the ring, creating a continuous π system that contains six π electrons shared over the whole ring. This delocalized cloud explains why all C–C bonds in benzene are of equal length and why the molecule is unusually stable (aromatic). So, the statement aligns with benzene having six carbons, sp2 carbons, and a delocalized π system. Note that the idea of "six π bonds" is a simplification; the correct picture is a delocalized six-electron π system rather than six discrete π bonds. The other options fail because benzene does not have eight carbons, it is not made only of single bonds, and it does possess π bonds.

Benzene is best understood as an aromatic, planar ring with a delocalized π electron system. It has six carbon atoms arranged in a hexagon, and each carbon is sp2 hybridized, forming three sigma bonds (two to neighbors and one to hydrogen). The unhybridized p orbitals on all six carbons overlap around the ring, creating a continuous π system that contains six π electrons shared over the whole ring. This delocalized cloud explains why all C–C bonds in benzene are of equal length and why the molecule is unusually stable (aromatic). So, the statement aligns with benzene having six carbons, sp2 carbons, and a delocalized π system. Note that the idea of "six π bonds" is a simplification; the correct picture is a delocalized six-electron π system rather than six discrete π bonds. The other options fail because benzene does not have eight carbons, it is not made only of single bonds, and it does possess π bonds.