Question

Does benzene dissolve in water?

Answer 1

The organic chemical compound benzene has the molecular formula ${C_6}{H_6}$. The benzene molecule is made up of six carbon atoms arranged in a planar ring, each containing one hydrogen atom. Benzene is classified as a hydrocarbon because it exclusively contains carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Complete answer:
At ${15^0}C$, benzene has a solubility of $1.79g/L$ that is about $0.02$ $0.02mol/L$, it shows benzene has some water solubility. However, many chemists use $0.10mol/L$ as the high/low solubility cut-off point. Benzene is insoluble in water according to this definition.
Water is a polar compound with dipole moment, whereas benzene is a symmetrical compound with zero dipole moment and so is non-polar.
When benzene is mixed with water, the molecular attraction increases, and the benzene molecules are no longer able to interact with the water molecules. As a result, it is insoluble.
In benzene, the carbon and hydrogen atoms are equally spaced, resulting in a balanced net charge. The net dipole moment is $0$
As a result, mixing the charged and uncharged liquids is impossible, resulting in a failure.

Note:
When compared to a water molecule, benzene is quite big. To dissolve, benzene would have to break a large number of the hydrogen bonds that exist between the water molecules. Furthermore, the van der Waals dispersion forces between the benzene molecules would have to be broken; both of these processes would need energy. Van der Waals dispersion forces would be the only new forces between the benzene and the water. Because these forces are weaker than hydrogen bonds, only a little amount of energy is lost when they develop.