Toluene is a clear liquid aromatic hydrocarbon with a distinctive smell. Its chemical formula is C6H5CH3. Also called methylbenzene or phenylmethane, it is used as an octane booster in fuel, as a solvent in paints and paint thinners[?], rubber, printing, adhesives, cosmetics, fingernail polish[?], lacquers, leather tanning[?] and perfumes, and to produce phenol and TNT. It is also used as a raw material for toluene diisocyanate[?], which is used in the manufacture of polyurethane foams.
Toluene occurs naturally in crude oil and in the tolu tree[?]. It is also produced in the process of making gasoline and other fuels from crude oil and making coke from coal.