Fluoranthene
Encyclopedia
Fluoranthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
(PAH) consisting of a naphthalene
and a benzene
unit connected by a five-membered ring. It is a member of the class of PAHs known as non-alternant PAHs because it has rings other than those with six carbon atoms. It is a structural isomer of the alternant PAH pyrene
. It is not as thermodynamically stable as pyrene because its electrons cannot resonate throughout the complete structure as the corresponding ones in pyrene.
Fluoranthene is found in many combustion products, along with other PAHs. Its presence is an indicator of less efficient or lower-temperature combustion, since non-alternant PAHs are less preferred in formation than alternant PAHs. Fluoranthene is one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
's 16 priority pollutant PAHs and is a carcinogen
.
Fluoranthene has been isolated from coal tar pitch. Its name is derived from its fluorescence
under UV light.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
(PAH) consisting of a naphthalene
Naphthalene
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings...
and a benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
unit connected by a five-membered ring. It is a member of the class of PAHs known as non-alternant PAHs because it has rings other than those with six carbon atoms. It is a structural isomer of the alternant PAH pyrene
Pyrene
Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of four fused benzene rings, resulting in a flat aromatic system. The chemical formula is . This colourless solid is the smallest peri-fused PAH...
. It is not as thermodynamically stable as pyrene because its electrons cannot resonate throughout the complete structure as the corresponding ones in pyrene.
Fluoranthene is found in many combustion products, along with other PAHs. Its presence is an indicator of less efficient or lower-temperature combustion, since non-alternant PAHs are less preferred in formation than alternant PAHs. Fluoranthene is one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
's 16 priority pollutant PAHs and is a carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
.
Fluoranthene has been isolated from coal tar pitch. Its name is derived from its fluorescence
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
under UV light.