Acetone

General Details
Alternate Name
CAS No.
Appearance

2-Propanone
Dimethyl ketone
Propanone
67-64-1
Colorless oily liquid

Applications
Paint and coating

Acetone is used in formulations of surface coatings and related washes and

thinners, mainly for acrylic and nitrocellulose lacquers and paints. It is used in
wood finishes, cleaners, film coating and adhesives.

Pharmaceuticals
Acetone is used as intermediate product and as solvent in number of
pharmaceutical products which include the following

Amoxycillin
Ampicillin
Cloxacillin
Atenolol
Cefadroxil
Cephalexin
Omeprazole
Vitamin

Derivatives
Aldol condensation of acetone leads to the group of aldol chemicals which are also
used mainly as solvents. It is also used as functional compounds in the production
of higher ketones, or formaldehyde or diphenylamine derivatives

Diacetone alcohol
Mesityl oxide (no longer sold due to toxicity)
Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK)
Methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC)
Hexylene glycol
Isophorone
Phorone
Diisobutyl ketone (DIBK)
Diisobutyl carbinol (DIBC).

Bisphenol A
Acetone reacts with phenol and forms bisphenol A, which is used mainly in the
production of polycarbonate and epoxy resins. Bisphenol A is also used for the
production of corrosion and chemical resistant polyester resins, polysulphones and
polyacrylate resins.
Polymer products
Acetone is converted to acetone cyanohydrin which in turn is converted to the
monomer, Methyl methacrylate (MMA). It is polymerized to give PMMA, which is
used to make the clear acrylic sheets.
Hydrolysis of acetone cyanohydrin gives methacrylic acid monomer, which goes
directly into acrylic latexes, carboxylated styrene butadiene polymers or ethylene
methacrylic acid ionomers.
As a part of the methacrylic structure, acetone is found in the major end use
products such as acrylic sheet molding resins, impact modifiers and processing aids,
acrylic film, ABS and polyester resin modifiers, surface coatings, acrylic lacquers,
emulsion polymers, petroleum chemicals and various copolymers.
Electronic industry

Acetone is used as degreaser and as cleaning solvent in electronic industry

especially in semiconductor . It is also used in electroplating.
Medicinal use
Dermatologists use acetone with alcohol for acne treatments to peel dry skin.
Miscellaneous uses

Used in cosmetics as nail polish removers

Used in spinning cellulose acetate fibers
Used in gas cylinders to store acetylene safely
Used in adhesives and contact cements
Used in various extraction processes
Solvent of degreasing wool and degumming silk
Solvent of waxes, fats, oils and resins
Used as a denaturant in denatured alcohol.
Used in chemical laboratories to clean glass containers and utensils.
Used in the production of antioxidants
Used in the production of herbicides
Used in combination with automatic transmission fluid to create an effective
penetrating oil.
Used in 3D printing to smooth out printing artifacts on models printed with
ABS plastic.