Benzene. The first sample of benzene, isolated in 1825 by Michael Faraday. It was isolated from an oily reside left by the production of coal gas and was first named bicarburet of hydrogen. Benzene is a colourless liquid at room temperature. It is formed from a hexagonal ring of six carbon atoms, each of which is bound to a hydrogen atom. This sample is on display at the Royal Institution, London.