Acetone - Why do we use it?

Blog Post - Acetone and Why it is Useful

Kiera Gower

Uses

Acetone, a versatile and colourless liquid has a variety of fascinating uses. Acetone is a solvent that can break down many types of substances. Acetone is the magic behind your everyday nail polish remover, dissolving stubborn polish with ease! The uses of acetone extend beyond the beauty world and into the world of manufacturing. Acetone is used when making plastics like water bottles and containers but can also be used in commercial cleaners and degreasers, isnt that crazy? Because of its versatility, acetone is used in a variety of applications in everyday life. As long as you use acetone safely and don't get it in your eyes or ingest it, then it is safe to use. 


Origin and Production

In terms of how acetone is produced, it can be man-made or occur naturally. Acetone can be released naturally by plants, trees, insects, forest fires and even volcanoes. A fun fact about acetone is that a small amount can be produced in the human body through metabolism! A majority of the time, acetone is man-made through one of two production processes: The Cumene Process or the decomposition of isopropyl alcohol (Nemah, 2017).

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