Question

Is pyrene an aromatic hydrocarbon?

Answer 1

Yes, pyrene is an aromatic hydrocarbon.

See What is an aromatic hydrocarbon?.

Pyrene belongs to the group of compounds called polycyclic aromatic compounds.

The structure of pyrene is

The above structure shows three benzene rings.

We can draw another resonance structure in which the fourth ring is also a benzene ring.

So pyrene is a resonance hybrid with four aromatic rings.

Also, the carbon atoms around the perimeter have 14 `p` orbital electrons. This satisfies the Hückel 4`n` +2 rule for aromaticity (`n` = 3).