A saturated hydrocarbon ring compound with six carbon atoms, also known as cyclohexane.
From 'hex-' (six) + 'naphthene' (a term for cyclic alkanes). The name comes from an older chemical nomenclature era when 'naphthene' was used to describe saturated ring hydrocarbons.
Cyclohexane (hexanaphthene's modern name) was a breakthrough because it showed chemists that six-membered carbon rings were extremely stable and common in nature—this insight led to understanding everything from benzene to DNA structure.
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