What is "acetone"

Acetone \Ac"e*tone\, n. [See Acetic.] (Chem.) A volatile liquid consisting of three parts of carbon, six of hydrogen, and one of oxygen; pyroacetic spirit, -- obtained by the distillation of certain acetates, or by the destructive distillation of citric acid, starch, sugar, or gum, with quicklime.

Note: The term in also applied to a number of bodies of similar constitution, more frequently called ketones. See Ketone.

colorless volatile liquid, 1839, literally "a derivative of acetic acid," from Latin acetum "vinegar" (see acetic) + Greek-based chemical suffix -one, which owes its use in chemistry to this word.

n. (context organic compound English) A colourless, volatile, flammable liquid ketone, (CH₃)₂CO, used as a solvent.

n. the simplest ketone; a highly inflammable liquid widely used as an organic solvent and as material for making plastics [syn: propanone, dimethyl ketone]

Acetone (systematically named propanone) is the organic compound with the formula (CH)CO. It is a colorless, volatile, flammable liquid, and is the simplest ketone.

Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically for cleaning purposes in the laboratory. About 6.7 million tonnes were produced worldwide in 2010, mainly for use as a solvent and production of methyl methacrylate and bisphenol A. It is a common building block in organic chemistry. Familiar household uses of acetone are as the active ingredient in nail polish remover and as paint thinner.

Acetone is produced and disposed of in the human body through normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in blood and urine. People with diabetes produce it in larger amounts. Reproductive toxicity tests show that it has low potential to cause reproductive problems. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children have higher levels of acetone. Ketogenic diets that increase acetone in the body are used to counter epileptic attacks in infants and children who suffer from recalcitrant refractory epilepsy.

This page provides supplementary chemical data on acetone.

Acetone is a chemical solvent.

Acetone may also refer to:

• Acetone peroxide, an organic high explosive
• Ace Tone, a manufacturer of musical instruments
• Acetone (band), an alternative rock band
• "Acetone", a song from the album Legion of Boom by The Crystal Method
• Acetone (data page)

Acetone was an American alternative rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles, California, from the three core members of the group Spinout, formed in 1987. The group consisted of Mark Lightcap on guitar, Richie Lee on bass and Steve Hadley on drums. The group disbanded after bassist Richie Lee committed suicide on July 23, 2001.

The group's influences included the Beach Boys, Gram Parsons and the Velvet Underground. Establishing themselves as an alternative rock group, they had also incorporated genres ranging from neo-psychedelia to roots rock and country into their music.