Dimethyl ketone (DYE-meth-el KEY-tone) is a clear, colorless,
highly volatile and highly flammable liquid with a
characteristic sweet odor and taste. The compound is almost
universally known in chemistry laboratories and industrial
applications by its common name of acetone.
Acetone was apparently first prepared in 1610 by the
French alchemist Jean Be´guin (c. 1550–c. 1650). Be´guin
obtained acetone by heating lead acetate (also known as
Saturn’s salt) to a high temperature. He obtained a sweetsmelling,
very flammable liquid that he named ‘‘burning
spirit of Saturn.’’ One of the first uses to which the substance
was put was as a solvent in the extraction of the active
constituents of opium. In 1833, the French chemist Antoine
Bussy (1794–1882) gave the compound its modern name of
acetone. The correct chemical formula for acetone was determined
independently in 1832 by the French chemist Jean
Baptiste Andre´ Dumas (1800–1884) and the German chemist
Justus von Liebig (1803–1873).
Most of the acetone produced today is made by one of
four methods:
• In the Hock process, cumene [C6H5CH(CH3)2] is first
oxidized to produce cumene hydroperoxide
[C6H5C(CH3)2COOH], which is then reduced to produce
acetone and phenol (C6H5OH); or
• Isopropyl alcohol (2-propanol; CH3CHOHCH3) is oxidized
over a catalyst to obtained acetone; or
• Butane (C4H10) is oxidized to obtain acetone; or
• Acetone is obtained as a by-product of the manufacture
of glycerol [C3H5 (OH)3].
Acetone’s primary applications are based on its ability to
dissolve such a wide array of organic substances. It is used as
a solvent for paints, varnishes, lacquers, inks, glues, rubber
cements, fats, oils, waxes, and various types of rubber and
plastics. It is perhaps best known to the average person as
the primary ingredient in nail polish remover. The largest
single use of the compound is as a raw material in the
manufacture of other organic chemicals, such as chloroform,
acetic acid, iodoform, bromoform, isoprene, rayon, and photographic
film. It also finds application in storing acetylene
gas (because it absorbs up to 24 times its own weight of the
gas), to clean and dry chemical equipment and electronic
parts, and for the extraction of components of plant and
animal tissues.
The primary safety concern about acetone is its extreme
flammability. Workers who handle the compound must use
great care to prevent its coming into contact or even being in
the vicinity of open flames. Under the proper conditions,
acetone is also explosive. Exposure of the skin, eyes, and
respiratory system to acetone may produce mild symptoms,
such as dizziness, headaches, and disorientation and irritation
of the eyes and skin. Such conditions are rare, however,
and no long-term health effects of the compound have as yet
been discovered.
