Question #84767
1 Answer
Generally, most aromatic hydrocarbon ring compounds are potentially carcinogenic. Aliphatic ones are not, unless containing other active groups - usually halogens.
Explanation:
Carcinogenesis is really a complex multi-step process. It is not just a "reaction" between certain chemicals and cells. Thus, the methods for determining whether a compound is carginogenic or not (and what you set as a "threshold" for statistical significance) are really a method of risk assessment and not a predictive rule.
As a class of compounds, the cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene and derivatives, PAHs) have been shown to have a have a higher probability of inducing cancers in test animals than "straight chain" hydrocarbons (not all of which are 'safe' either).
Thus, pretty much any compound containing a benzene ring component would likely be a suspect carcinogen. There are always some exceptions (including very similar compounds for some reason, e.g. toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene) or simply lack of data for some compounds.
HUGE authoritative report:
http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol92/mono92.pdf
Overview including benzene and some none-ring compounds:
http://www.unc.edu/courses/2006spring/envr/132/001/Hydrocarbons%20and%20alcohols%20handouts.pdf
https://www.pace.edu/sites/default/files/files/appendix-g-hazards-of-functional-groups.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653515005196
