Acenaphthene

Acenaphthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) consisting of naphthalene with an ethylene bridge connecting positions 1 and 8.

[3] Acenaphthene was prepared for the first time in 1866[4] by Marcellin Berthelot by reacting hot napthalene vapours with acetylene, and a year later he reproduced a similar reaction with ethylene as well as discovered acenaphthene in coal tar.

[5] Later Berthelot and Bardy synthesized the compound by cyclization of α-ethylnaphthalene.

Industrially, it is still obtained from coal tar together with its derivative acenaphthylene (and many other compounds).

Like other arenes, acenaphthene forms complexes with low valent metal centers.

Skeletal formula
Ball-and-stick model
NFPA 704 four-colored diamond Health 2: Intense or continued but not chronic exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury. E.g. chloroform Flammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oil Instability 1: Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures. E.g. calcium Special hazards (white): no code