1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Chrysene

CHRYSENE C₁₈H₁₂, a hydrocarbon occurring in the high boiling fraction of the coal tar distillate. It is produced in small quantity in the distillation of amber, on passing the vapour of phenyl-naphthyl-methane through a red-hot tube, on heating indene, or by passing the mixed vapours of coumarone and naphthalene through a red-hot tube. It crystallizes in plates or octahedra (from benzene), which exhibit a violet fluorescence, and melt at 250°C. Chromic acid in glacial acetic acid solution oxidizes it to chrysoquinone C₁₈H₁₀O₂, which when distilled with lead oxide gives chrysoketone C₁₇H₁₀O. When chrysene is fused with alkalis, chrysenic acid, C₁₇H₁₂O₃, is produced, which on heating gives β-phenyl-naphthalene. On heating chrysene with hydriodic acid and red phosphorus to 260°C, the hydro-derivatives C₁₈H₂₈ and C₁₈H₃₀ are produced. It gives characteristic addition products with picric acid and dinitroanthraquinone. Impure chrysene is of a yellow colour; hence its name (χρύσεος, golden yellow).