Acetone is an organic colourless solvent and one of the simplest ketones with various applications. There are a number of markets in which acetone is used strictly for cleaning purposes since it is a powerful cleaner for removing grime, grease, soil and debris . It has excellent degreasing properties. Some of the markets that use acetone for cleaning are: aerospace, electronics, coatings, inks, metalworking, welding and fabrication, personal care, and textile. Acetone is used in the personal care and pharmaceutical industry to deliver different ingredients in a product as an excipient. Acetone is used as an excipient and is also used to denature alcohol. In summary acetone is used as a cleaner, excipient, and to denature alcohols.
Most familiar is the cosmetic market, where acetone is used for nail polish remover since it quickly cleans nails thoroughly, dries fast, and prepares a strong bond for fresh nail polish. Acetone is the delivery agent for some ingredients in cosmetic products such as skin creams, and makeup.Interestingly, it is a key ingredient in chemical peels to combat acne.
Acetone as excipient is used in pharmaceutical production as active ingredient and filler to deliver correct dose amount of medication in common pill and liquid form.
Acetone is use to denature alcohol to create additives in different fields such as the petroleum industry. In this application the denatured alcohol is a gasoline additive, which causes the gas to easily diffuse and vapourize improving fuel efficiency.
In industry it is used for cleaning parts to be plated in aerospace, for cleaning electronic components and devices, for cleaning and restoration of fiberglass used in automotive and boats. It is also used for thinning paints, polyester resin, cleaning tools and brushes, and dissolving two-part epoxies and superglue before they harden. Acetone thins or entirely removes resins, epoxy, and glue from hard and soft surfaces. It is great for degreasing metal surfaces in the pretreatment stage for a variety of substrates. It is excellent for removing rosin flux from final welds, after welding.
Acetone can be custom blended for the textile industry, which requires less concentrated form to address removal of gums, oils, and other undesirable substances from the fibers of raw textile such as silk and wool. In domestic applications, acetone is used to remove oil stains from walls, ink stains, paint from paint brushes and paint sprayers as well as remove varnishes.
There are other uses for acetone such as dealing with oil spills in a disaster clean up since it has the advantage of being an organic compound that is considered non-toxic to humans and the environment. Acetone dissolves oil sludge, breaking it up and making it flow instead of staying stuck in one area, removing oil from the surface of water, marine plants, or animals. It also finds use in laboratories to rinse glassware apparatus since it speeds up the drying process.
