The History of ACETONE

Acetone is the organic compound that has the formula (CH₃)₂CO. Acetone was first produced by alchemists during the late Middle Ages.In any event, it was well known at the beginning of the seveneenth century and was used for various medical purpose.Although it could be produced by the dry distillation of several metal acetates, the most frequently used was lead acetate, and consequently acetone was knwon as spirit of Saturn.

Possibly the most vivid description of the preparation of acetone is given by Jean Beguin, who established a school of pharmacy in Paris a few years after the turn of seventeenth century. To save time in dictating notes, he wrote a textbook in Latin, " Tyrocinium Chymicum", published privately in 1610. he cautions that it is necessary that the lead acetate must be distilled into a receiver of sufficient capacity

Jean Beguin

In 1832, French chemist (Jean-Baptiste Dumas) and German chemist (Justus von Liebig) determined the empirical formula for acetone.In 1833, the French chemist, Antoine Bussy named acetone by adding the suffix -one to the stem of the corresponding acid. In 1852, English chemist, Alexander William Williamson realized that acetone was methyl acetyl.

Antoine Bussy

Do you know that acetone was made using Clostridium Acetobutylicum ?

During World War 1 acetone was developed the process for industrial production of acetone by Chaim Weizmann. Weizmann needed something to help him create the method of Bacterial Fermentation, so he made acetone using the bacterium Clostridium Acetobutylicum. But the way it was abandoned due to the low acetone of butanol produced.

Clostridium Acetobutylicum

Clostridium Acetobutylicum is a commercially valuable bacterium sometimes called the "Weizmann Organism". He is a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester, England.

He used them in 1916 as a bio-chemical tool to produce at the same time, acetone, ethanol, and butanol from starch. The method has been described since as the ABE process, (Acetone Butanol Ethanol fermentation process), yielding 3 parts of acetone, 6 of butanol, and 1 of ethanol. Acetone was used in the important wartime task of casting cordite. The alcohols were used to produce vehicle fuels and synthetic rubber. Unlike yeast, which can digest sugar only into alcohol and carbon dioxide, C. acetobutylicum and other Clostridia can digest sugar, starch, cellulose and perhaps certain types of lignin, yielding butanol, propionic acid, ether, and glycerin.