Who discovered acetone and when was it first produced?
German chemist Andreas Libavius produced acetone in 1606 by distilling lead acetate. He initially misidentified the substance as a compound of lead and called it spirit of Saturn.
Questions about Acetone
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the true chemical formula of acetone determined?
French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas and German chemist Justus von Liebig determined the empirical formula of acetone in 1832. They stripped away the lead myth to reveal a molecule composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
How did Chaim Weizmann contribute to acetone production during the Great War?
Chaim Weizmann developed a fermentation process using bacteria to manufacture acetone on an industrial scale during the Great War. His method involved fermenting starch with Clostridium acetobutylicum to produce acetone, butanol, and ethanol for Cordite propellant.
What is the primary industrial use of acetone today?
About one-third of the world's acetone is used as a solvent to thin polyester resins and clean tools for composite materials. The largest producer is INEOS Phenol, which owns a facility in Beveren, Belgium, capable of producing 420,000 tonnes annually.
How does acetone function in human metabolism and medical treatments?
Every human being produces acetone naturally as a byproduct of normal metabolic processes and exhales several milligrams each day. Medical ketogenic diets increase acetone levels to suppress epileptic attacks in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy.
What is the atmospheric lifetime of acetone and where was it detected on a comet?
Acetone has a relatively long lifetime in the atmosphere, lasting about two weeks before being removed by ocean processes or deposition to dry land surfaces. Scientists reported that the Philae lander detected acetone among sixteen organic compounds upon its first touchdown on comet 67P in 2015.