Overview

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.

Key Facts

Other Names:

2-propanone; acetone

Formula:

CH₃COCH₃

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen

Compound Type:

Ketone (organic)

State:

Liquid

Molecular Weight:

58.08 g/mol

Melting Point:

−94.7°C (−138°F)

Boiling Point:

56.05°C (132.9°F)

Solubility:

Miscible with water, alcohol, ether, benzene, and chloroform

Acetone was apparently first prepared in 1610 by the French alchemist Jean Béguin (c. 1550–c. 1650). Béguin obtained acetone by heating lead acetate (also known as Saturn's salt) to a high temperature. He obtained a sweet-smelling, 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...