Terphenyls are a group of closely related aromatic

Aromaticity

In organic chemistry, Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone. The earliest use of the term was in an article by August...

 hydrocarbons. Also known as diphenylbenzenes or triphenyls, they consist of a central 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....

 ring substituted with two phenyl group

Phenyl group

In organic chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring is a cyclic group of atoms with the formula C6H5. Phenyl groups are closely related to benzene. Phenyl groups have six carbon atoms bonded together in a hexagonal planar ring, five of which are bonded to individual hydrogen atoms, with the...

s. The three isomers are ortho-terphenyl, meta-terphenyl, and para-terphenyl. Commercial grade terphenyl is generally a mixture of the three isomers. This mixture is used in the production of polychlorinated terphenyl

Polychlorinated terphenyl

Polychlorinated terphenyls are a group of chlorine derivatives of terphenyls. They are chemically related to polychlorinated biphenyls and have similar chemical properties. They have very low electrical conductivity, high heat stability, and high resistance to alkalies and strong acids...

s, which were formerly used as heat storage and transfer agents.

p-Terphenyl is the most common isomer. It is used as a laser dye and a sunscreen ingredient.

External links

• p-Terphenyl at the Oregon Laser Medical Center