The structure of the phenyl group

In organic chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring (often abbreviated as -Ph or Φ, the greek letter phi) is the functional group with the formula

C₆H₅-,

where the six carbon atoms are arranged in a cyclic ring structure. This hydrophobic, highly-stable and aromatic hydrocarbon unit can be found in many organic compounds. It can be thought of as being derived from benzene (C₆H₆). In fact, in chemical literature benzene itself is sometimes denoted as PhH.

One of the simplest phenyl containing compounds is phenol, C₆H₅OH. It is often said the resonance stability of phenol makes it a stronger acid than that of aliphatic alcohols such as ethanol (pK_a = 10 vs. 16–18). However, a significant contribution is the greater electronegativity of the sp² alpha carbon in phenol compared to the sp³ alpha carbon in aliphatic alcohols.^[1]

• Protons of a phenyl group typically have chemical shifts around 7.27 ppm in an ¹H-NMR largely due to an aromatic ring current, but these values may change depending on substituents.
• Phenyl groups can also be found in polymers such as polystyrene.
• The phenyl group belongs to the aryl group of compounds.
• The phenyl group differs from the benzyl functional group in that benzyls have an extra CH₂.

[edit] References

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