Skip to main content

Astronomy (thesaurus)

Search from vocabulary

Concept information

Preferred term

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon  

Definition

  • A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. PAHs are uncharged, non-polar and planar. Many are colorless. Many of them are found in coal and in oil deposits, and are also produced by the combustion of organic matter—for example, in engines and incinerators or when biomass burns in forest fires. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon)

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • PAH

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-LQ544GGF-9

Download this concept: