Now, as we all know, cider and wine when exposed to the air gradually turn into vinegar, that is, by the growth of bacteria the alcohol is oxidized to acetic acid.  We can, if we like, dispense with the bacteria and speed up the process by employing a catalyst.  Acetaldehyde, which is halfway between alcohol and acid, may also be easily oxidized to acetic acid.  The relationship is readily seen by this: 

  C{2}H_{6}O —­> CC_{2}H_{4}O —­> C_{2}H_{4}O_{3}

  alcohol acetaldehyde acetic acid

Acetic acid, familiar to us in a diluted and flavored form as vinegar, is when concentrated of great value in industry, especially as a solvent.  I have already referred to its use in combination with cellulose as a “dope” for varnishing airplane canvas or making non-inflammable film for motion pictures.  Its combination with lime, calcium acetate, when heated gives acetone, which, as may be seen from its formula (C_{3}H_{6}O) is closely related to the other compounds we have been considering, but it is neither an alcohol nor an acid.  It is extensively employed as a solvent.

Acetone is not only useful for dissolving solids but it will under pressure dissolve many times its volume of gaseous acetylene.  This is a convenient way of transporting and handling acetylene for lighting or welding.

If instead of simply mixing the acetone and acetylene in a solution we combine them chemically we can get isoprene, which is the mother substance of ordinary India rubber.  From acetone also is made the “war rubber” of the Germans (methyl rubber), which I have mentioned in a previous chapter.  The Germans had been getting about half their supply of acetone from American acetate of lime and this was of course shut off.  That which was produced in Germany by the distillation of beech wood was not even enough for the high explosives needed at the front.  So the Germans resorted to rotting potatoes—­or rather let us say, since it sounds better—­to the cultivation of Bacillus macerans.  This particular bacillus converts the starch of the potato into two-thirds alcohol and one-third acetone.  But soon potatoes got too scarce to be used up in this fashion, so the Germans turned to calcium carbide as a source of acetone and before the war ended they had a factory capable of manufacturing 2000 tons of methyl rubber a year.  This shows the advantage of having several strings to a bow.

The reason why acetylene is such an active and acquisitive thing the chemist explains, or rather expresses, by picturing its structure in this shape: 

  H-C[triple bond]C-H

Now the carbon atoms are holding each other’s hands because they have nothing else to do.  There are no other elements around to hitch on to.  But the two carbons of acetylene readily loosen up and keeping the connection between them by a single bond reach out in this fashion with their two disengaged arms and grab whatever alien atoms happen to be in the vicinity: