The benzene molecule is :

Options

A. `6sigma` bonds and `3pi` bonds
B. `12sigma` bonds and `3pi` bonds
C. `6sigma` bonds and `6pi` bonds
D. `9sigma` bonds and `3pi` bonds

Explanation

To determine the characteristics of the benzene molecule, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Molecular Formula
The first step is to recognize that the molecular formula of benzene is C₆H₆. This indicates that there are six carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms in the molecule.

**Hint:** Remember that the molecular formula gives you the number of each type of atom in the molecule.

### Step 2: Understand the Structure of Benzene
Benzene has a cyclic structure, meaning the carbon atoms are arranged in a ring. Each carbon atom is bonded to two other carbon atoms and one hydrogen atom.

**Hint:** Visualize the benzene ring as a hexagon where each vertex represents a carbon atom.

### Step 3: Identify the Types of Bonds
In benzene, there are alternating single and double bonds between the carbon atoms. However, due to resonance, benzene is often represented as having equal bond lengths, indicating that it has delocalized electrons.

**Hint:** Recall that resonance structures can help explain the stability of benzene.

### Step 4: Count the Sigma and Pi Bonds
- **Sigma Bonds:** Each carbon-carbon bond and carbon-hydrogen bond is a sigma bond. In benzene, there are 6 carbon-hydrogen bonds and 6 carbon-carbon bonds, resulting in a total of 12 sigma bonds.
- **Pi Bonds:** The alternating double bonds contribute to pi bonds. In benzene, there are 3 double bonds, which means there are 3 pi bonds.

**Hint:** Remember that a single bond consists of one sigma bond, a double bond consists of one sigma and one pi bond, and a triple bond consists of one sigma and two pi bonds.

### Step 5: Conclusion
From the above analysis, we conclude that the benzene molecule contains 12 sigma bonds and 3 pi bonds.

**Final Answer:** The benzene molecule is characterized by having 12 sigma bonds and 3 pi bonds.

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