I noticed a sign locally saying 'Mercedes Benz' and wondered if there would be any connection in the 'Benz' part with the word 'benzine'. A quick search of The Online Etymology Dictionary came up with the word spelled as 'benzene', but as having been coined by the chemist Eilhardt Mitscherlich as 'Benzin'. He had obtained it from a distillation of benzoic acid.
On Quora there's a reliable-looking answer that says benzine is the obsolete spelling of benzene. However, the Macquarie Australian dictionary has it with both spellings.
I'm feeling a bit silly about this, because I actually thought benzine was another word for petrol (gas, in the US). At least I now know the word has no connection to Mercedes Benz and it means:
a colourless, volatile, flammable, liquid, aromatic hydrocarbon, C6H6, obtained chiefly from coal tar, and used as a solvent and in chemical synthesis. (Definition from The Macquarie Dictionary)
But it still lurks in my subconscious that there's some connection, given that the German word for ''the petrol' is 'das Benzin'. Well, at least this should help me remember the gender of that word - neuter. I always find it tricky to remember what gender German nouns are.
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