<unk>  is used mainly as an intermediate to make other chemicals, above all ethylbenzene, cumene, cyclohexane, nitrobenzene, and alkylbenzene. In 1988 it was reported that two-thirds of all chemicals on the American Chemical Society's lists contained at least one<unk>  ring. More than half of the entire<unk>  production is processed into ethylbenzene, a precursor to styrene, which is used to make polymers and plastics like polystyrene and EPS. Some 20% of the<unk>  production is used to manufacture cumene, which is needed to produce phenol and acetone for resins and adhesives. Cyclohexane consumes around 10% of the world's<unk>  production; it is primarily used in the manufacture of nylon fibers, which are processed into textiles and engineering plastics. Smaller amounts of<unk>  are used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, explosives, and pesticides. In 2013, the biggest consumer country of<unk>  was China, followed by the USA.<unk>  production is currently expanding in the Middle East and in Africa, whereas production capacities in Western Europe and North America are stagnating. Toluene is now often used as a substitute for<unk> , for instance as a fuel additive. The solvent-properties of the two are similar, but toluene is less toxic and has a wider liquid range. Toluene is also processed into<unk> . File:Benzene_uses.Major commodity chemicals and polymers derived from<unk> .thumb rect 39 660 435 807<unk>  rect 665 60 1062 207 Ethylbenzene rect 665 426 1062 579 Cumene rect 665 795 1062 942 Cyclohexane rect 665 1161 1062 1317 Aniline rect 665 1533 1062 1686 Chlorobenzene rect 1215 345 1614 495 Acetone rect 1215 636 1614 783 Phenol rect 1764 57 2163 210 Styrene rect 1764 432 2163 585 Bisphenol A rect 1764 1083 2163 1233 Adipic acid rect 1764 1332 2163 1482 Caprolactam rect 2313 57 2712 207 Polystyrene rect 2313 315 2712 462 Polycarbonate rect 2313 570 2712 717 Epoxy resin rect 2313 822 2712 975 Phenolic resin rect 2313 1083 2712 1233 Nylon 6-6 rect 2313 1335 2712 1485 Nylon 6 desc bottom-left Component of gasoline As a gasoline (petrol) additive,<unk>  increases the octane rating and reduces knocking. As a consequence, gasoline often contained several percent<unk>  before the 1950s, when tetraethyl lead replaced it as the most widely used antiknock additive. With the global phaseout of leaded gasoline,<unk>  has made a comeback as a gasoline additive in some nations. In the United States, concern over its negative health effects and the possibility of<unk> 's entering the groundwater have led to stringent regulation of gasoline's<unk>  content, with limits typically around 1%. European petrol specifications now contain the same 1% limit on<unk>  content. The United States Environmental Protection Agency introduced new regulations in 2011 that lowered the<unk>  content in gasoline to 0.62%. In many European languages, the word for petroleum or gasoline is an exact cognate of<unk> ".
Benzene
Nitrobenzene
Naphthalene
Vinyl chloride
Coal tar
Methanol
Alkylphenol
Triphenylchloroethylene