Polyaromatics

• This 3D animation shows how the heat from tobacco combustion causes molecules to fragment into unstable arrangements, which recombine to form carcinogenic compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents.
• Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH.
• PAHs occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning
• The term "PAH" refers to compounds consisting of only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
• PAHs are highly lipophilic and therefore very soluble in organic solvents.