An unsuccessful search for ortho-benzyne (o-C₆H₄) toward the "born-again giant" star V4334 Sgr (also known as Sakurai's Object) was reported by Woodward et al. in 2020. They searched for a characteristic vibrational feature at 16.18 μm with the EXES instrument on the SOFIA airborne observatory but found no evidence for its presence. This followed another unsuccessful search for benzyne reported by Widicus Weaver et al. in 2007. The earlier effort focused on detecting rotational transitions toward CRL 618 with the 100m Green Bank radiotelescope.

The only single ring aromatic hydrocarbons that have been detected to date are benzene, benzonitrile, and cyclopropenylidene, which is only partially aromatic.

AUGUST 2021 – o-benzyne has been detected toward TMC-1 by Cernicharo et al. using the Yebes 40m telescope.