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Aromatics are carbon compounds that have benzene-like properties. The term "aromatic" came to be because earlier compounds found with the rings had pleasant fragrances, but it turns out that the ring has nothing to do with smell. Benzene, back then, had special properties and fascinated scientists for many years. At last, a structural model was proposed and accepted as the benzene ring. Aromatics consists of a benzene ring located anywhere within the molecular structure.
If an alkyl group substitutes a hydrogen atom on the benzene ring, the structure is similarly named like an branched alkane.
- Obtain the smallest possible numbers to indicate the location of the branched alkanes. In order to obtain this, numbering starts at one of the substituents and continues either clockwise or counterclockwise to get the smallest possible numbers. If there is only one substituent, numbering is not required.
- Identify the various branching groups attached to this continuous chain of carbons by name.
- The format is as follows: (location of branch)-(branch name)(parent chain)
If a benzene ring is considered a branch(in larger molecules), then the benzene ring is called a phenyl group. In this case, the alkane becomes the parent chain and the phenyl thus becomes a branch of the alkane structure.
Eg. 1-phenylbutane
 or  benzene |
 methylbenzene (toluene) |
 ethylbenzene |
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