Hexabenzocoronene
Other names: HBC, hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene, hexabenzo[bc,ef,hi,kl,no,qr]coronene
C42H18
27/50 
common
Hexabenzocoronene is a large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon composed of 13 fused benzene rings arranged in a near-perfect disc shape. First synthesized by Clar et al. in 1958, this molecule is often described as a "nanographene" due to its extended π-conjugated system that mimics key electronic properties of graphene on a molecular scale. HBC appears as a yellow crystalline solid with extremely low solubility in most organic solvents, a consequence of its rigid, flat structure and strong π-π stacking interactions. Notably, it was the first molecule to be completely visualized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), showcasing an image of chemical bonding in real space that matches almost completely with the classical Lewis depiction.
