Acetone (C₃H₆O), also known as 2-propanone or dimethyl ketone, is the simplest and most widely used ketone in industrial and laboratory settings. It's a colorless, highly volatile liquid with a characteristic sweet, fruity odor and a remarkable ability to dissolve a broad range of organic materials, which is why it shows up everywhere from paint formulation and pharmaceutical synthesis to semiconductor fabrication and nail polish remover.

What makes acetone particularly valuable is the combination of properties it brings to solvent work: complete miscibility with water, extremely rapid evaporation, low viscosity, and compatibility with most organic solvents. It also occurs naturally in the human body as a byproduct of fat metabolism, contributing to a relatively favorable toxicological profile compared to many other organic solvents. Despite that, it's a highly flammable liquid with a flash point of -20°C, and it's classified under DOT Hazard Class 3 and regulated as a CERCLA hazardous substance.

Acetone has the molecular formula C₃H₆O and the structural formula CH₃COCH₃, making it the simplest and most widely recognized ketone in organic chemistry. Also known by its IUPAC name propan-2-one, dimethyl ketone, or 2-propanone, acetone's structure consists of a three-carbon chain with a carbonyl group (C=O) positioned at the center, flanked by two methyl groups on either side. This arrangement is what formally classifies it as a ketone — the carbonyl carbon is bonded to two carbon atoms rather than a hydrogen, which distinguishes acetone from aldehydes and gives it its characteristic reactivity profile. With a molar mass of 58.08 g/mol and CAS number 67-64-1, the acetone chemical formula is one of the most referenced in both academic chemistry and industrial sourcing, appearing across safety data sheets, certificates of analysis, and regulatory filings for facilities in pharmaceuticals, electronics, coatings, and laboratory research.

Understanding the acetone molecular formula also explains its performance as a solvent. The carbonyl oxygen carries a partial negative charge, allowing acetone to form hydrogen bonds with water while simultaneously interacting with a wide range of nonpolar organic compounds — which is why it dissolves fats, resins, waxes, and synthetic polymers as readily as it mixes with water. This dual compatibility, rooted directly in the C₃H₆O structure, drives acetone's low viscosity of 0.306 mPa·s, high vapor pressure of 184 mmHg at 20°C, and rapid evaporation rate that make it indispensable across laboratory, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and industrial applications. Lab Alley supplies acetone in ACS, HPLC, Electronic, and Lab grades — call 512-668-9918 to find the right grade and pack size for your application.

Acetone from Lab Alley is available in multiple grades and purity levels, with packaging options ranging from small laboratory containers to bulk drums and totes for laboratory, industrial, manufacturing, and chemical processing applications.

Quick Reference: Formula, Structure, and Properties

Molecular Structure

Acetone is built around a central carbonyl carbon, one carbon double-bonded to an oxygen atom (C=O), flanked by two methyl groups (CH3). That carbonyl carbon and the atoms bonded to it sit in a trigonal planar arrangement, roughly 120 degrees apart, which is the geometry that defines the ketone functional group. The carbon-oxygen double bond is polarized, with a partial negative charge on the oxygen and a partial positive charge on the carbon, giving acetone a dipole moment of about 2.88 D. That's what makes acetone a polar aprotic solvent, polar enough to dissolve a wide range of compounds, but without an O-H or N-H bond to donate as a hydrogen bond, which is why it can dissolve both polar and moderately nonpolar substances while still evaporating cleanly without leaving hydrogen-bonded residue behind.

Being the simplest ketone (just two methyl groups on the carbonyl, with nothing more complex attached), acetone is also the smallest member of its structural class, which is part of why it's produced and consumed at such enormous industrial scale.

Density, Solubility, and Reactivity

Acetone is completely miscible with water, ethanol, diethyl ether, chloroform, and most common organic solvents, and dissolves fats, oils, waxes, resins, and many plastics and synthetic fibers. That same broad solvency has a downside: acetone attacks certain plastics, rubber, and coatings, so container and equipment compatibility needs to be checked before use.

Acetone is stable under normal storage but incompatible with strong oxidizers, halogens, strong acids, and strong bases. It reacts violently with chloroform in the presence of alkali and forms explosive acetone peroxides with hydrogen peroxide, both combinations to keep out of any storage or use area without exception.

The odor threshold for acetone is 100 to 140 ppm, well below the NIOSH REL of 250 ppm and the OSHA PEL of 1,000 ppm. Being able to smell it doesn't by itself mean exposure is unsafe, but it's worth using as a prompt to double-check ventilation.

Acetone is a colorless, fast-evaporating organic solvent widely used in laboratory research, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing, coatings production, electronics cleaning, and industrial degreasing applications. The compound is valued for its excellent solvency, rapid drying characteristics, and ability to dissolve a wide range of organic substances across commercial, industrial, and laboratory environments. U.S. laboratories and manufacturers sourcing acetone by grade and purity can contact Lab Alley at 512-668-9918 for product selection and ordering support.