About Acetone. Acetone (a.k.a. Propanone, Dimethyl Ketone) is a colorless, volatile, and flammable liquid known for its sweet aromatic odor. It exhibits the ability to mix with water and most organic solvents and performs the usual reactions of saturated aliphatic ketones. Being recognized as the simplest and the most important ketone, it can be found naturally in forests and serves as a breakdown byproduct of animal metabolism. The production of acetone can be traced back to alchemists from the 13th to 15th centuries as a product of the distillation of sugar of lead (lead acetate). However, its chemical formula was not discovered until 1833, and its industrial-scale production began much later, in 1999.

Presently, the cumene oxidation process is responsible for the majority of global acetone production, with acetone being produced as a co-product with phenol through this method. The production of cumene involves the Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene and propane. In the first step, cumene is produced, while low-boiling components are separated from the propene feedstock. In the second step (cumene oxidation or Hock process), cumene is oxidized to cumene hydroperoxide (CHP), which is then cleaved to phenol and acetone using a mineral acid catalyst. Byproducts, including ketones, are separated through distillation. The overall reaction can be considered as a dual oxidation, where benzene is oxidized to phenol and propene is oxidized to acetone. Process water is generated and requires further treatment in a wastewater treatment plant. The remainder of acetone production not obtained from cumene is usually done via dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol. In this route, the vapor is passed over a catalyst (e.g. brass and copper) at high temperatures, achieving approximately a 95% yield. Isopropyl alcohol is highly selective to produce acetone via vapor-phase dehydrogenation; however, there is a significant number of by-products that need to be removed from the acetone. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that other processes represent a minor portion of acetone's production.

Acetone finds primary usage as a direct solvent for various applications, including in formulations for surface coatings and related washes and thinners. It is also widely employed as a solvent for safely transporting and storing acetylene, despite its flammability. Acetone acts as a solvent to enable the secure handling of acetylene, which cannot be safely pressurized in its pure form. Furthermore, acetone plays a vital role as an intermediate compound in the synthesis of diverse substances. These include materials like bisphenol A (BPA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), aldol chemicals such as diacetone alcohol (DAA), mesityl oxide (MOX), isophorone, hexylene glycol, and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), along with other related products. To a lesser extent, acetone can be employed in the production of antioxidants, herbicides, higher ketones, condensates with formaldehyde or diphenylamine, and vitamin intermediates.

Acetone Handling. Acetone necessitates storage in containers that are tightly sealed within a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area. It should be kept at a safe distance from heat, sparks, and other potential sources of ignition. Typically, acetone is transported to consumers and distributors in drums and larger containers. Distributors subsequently repackage acetone into various-sized containers, ranging from small bottles to drums or even tank trucks. For transportation purposes, small quantities of acetone can be safely conveyed in glass vessels with a capacity of up to 4-5 liters or steel pails with an 18-liter capacity. Larger containers used for transportation typically consist of carbon steel drums of 210 liters, tank trucks constructed from stainless steel or aluminum, and rail tank cars made of carbon steel, lined steel, or aluminum. Barges and ships commonly employ steel structures, although they may feature specialized inner or deck-mounted tanks. Tank cars can accommodate approximately 40, 80, or 120 cubic meters of acetone, while tank trucks hold approximately 23 cubic meters, and barges carry around 1270 tons. International shipments by sea often reach a capacity of approximately 2000 tons.

Acetone Production. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Acetone are listed below.

Acetone Uses. The uses and applications of Acetone may vary according to its specification. The main forms of Acetone are high purity; specially analyzed; analytical reagent grade; chromatography grade; and spectrophotometric grade.