# Acetone

Acetone identity, condition-specific physical data, commercial grade distinctions, and the limits of product specifications and safety data.

Reviewed: 2026-10-30

Tags: chemicals, solvents, substances

## Identity and scope

Solstice lists ACS acetone **179124** at **≥99.5% by GC** and **≤0.5% water by Karl Fischer**. HPLC **34850** lists **≥99.8% by GC** and **≤0.1% water by Karl Fischer**. These are catalog limits. A bottle result needs its lot record. [179124 specification](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-179124) [34850 specification](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-34850) Acetone (propan-2-one, dimethyl ketone) is C₃H₆O, CAS 67-64-1, InChIKey CSCPPACGZOOCGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N. [NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69](https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C67641&Mask=4&Plot=on&Type=ANTOINE)

Acetone is a polar aprotic solvent, molar mass 58.08 g/mol. Its carbonyl sits between two methyl groups. [Sigma-Aldrich 179124, US English product page](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/179124)

## Physical properties and their conditions

The following are attributed reference values, not lot measurements. A temperature without a pressure basis is incomplete evidence for a boiling point.

| Property | Source value and basis | Applicability or missing context |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Liquid boiling point | 56 °C at 760 mmHg, marked as literature data | Sigma-Aldrich 179124. The page does not identify the underlying measurement method. |
| Liquid density | 0.791 g/mL at 25 °C, literature data | Sigma-Aldrich 179124. No measurement pressure or method is supplied. |
| Liquid density | 0.79 g/cm3 at 20 °C | Solstice Fluka 179124. No method or pressure is supplied. |
| Dynamic viscosity | 0.32 mPa·s at 20 °C | Solstice Fluka 179124. No method or pressure is supplied. |
| Water relationship | Completely miscible | Solstice Fluka 179124. The page supplies no mixture-property correlation. |

Sources: [Sigma-Aldrich 179124](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/179124), [Solstice Fluka 179124](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-179124).

Synthesis: g/mL and g/cm3 express the same density unit. Different temperatures, precision, and unidentified methods prevent these two catalog densities from proving a temperature trend or a grade difference. Complete miscibility describes phase mixing with water. It does not make an acetone-water mixture equivalent to neat acetone or establish the mixture's density, vapor pressure, or material compatibility.

## Vapor pressure and phase equilibrium

NIST fits Ambrose, Sprake, and Townsend's 1974 acetone data with the Antoine form `log10(P) = A - B / (T + C)`, with **P in bar** and **T in kelvin**. The stated interval is 259.16 to 507.60 K. The coefficients are A = 4.42448, B = 1312.253, and C = -32.445. The correlation describes pure-substance phase equilibrium. [NIST correlation, reference, and notes](https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C67641&Mask=4&Plot=on&Type=ANTOINE)

Derived example: at 293.15 K, equivalent to 20 °C, substitution gives approximately 0.246 bar, or 24.6 kPa. This within-range calculation has no supplied uncertainty estimate. Saturation pressure does not predict airborne concentration, evaporation time, or a mixture's total pressure.

Source differences remain visible. Solstice 179124 lists both 184 mmHg and 240 hPa at 20 °C. The Fisher SDS gives 247 mbar at 20 °C. Exact unit conversion makes 240 hPa equal to 24.0 kPa and 247 mbar equal to 24.7 kPa. The sources do not establish why their values differ. [Solstice properties and specifications](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-179124), [Fisher SDS, section 9](https://www.fishersci.com/store/msds?countryCode=US&language=en&partNumber=A181&productDescription=ACETONE+CERTIFIED+ACS+1L&vendorId=VN00033897)

Solstice prints a boiling range of 55–57 °C at `1.013 hPa`. That ambiguous punctuation does not establish a verified pressure basis here. [Solstice 179124](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-179124)

## Commercial grades and lot evidence

These two Solstice products illustrate distinct published specifications for the same CAS identity. They are examples, not a universal ranking of acetone grades.

| Catalog item | Assay minimum | Water maximum | Nonvolatile matter maximum | Other distinguishing information |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fluka 179124, ACS reagent | 99.5%, GC according to ACS | 0.5%, Karl Fischer | 0.001% | Separate methanol and 2-propanol maxima of 0.05% each |
| CHROMASOLV 34850, for HPLC | 99.8%, GC | 0.1%, Karl Fischer | 0.0005% | Optical transmittance minima vary with wavelength |

Sources: [179124 specification table](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-179124), [34850 specification table](https://lab.solstice.com/shop/acetone-34850). GC means gas chromatography. The pages name methods for assay and water but do not state a mass or volume basis for every percentage.

Sigma-Aldrich's technical-support answer explicitly says its 179124 is not anhydrous. Its 0.5% water maximum is a specification, not a statement that each bottle contains that amount. [Sigma-Aldrich 179124, properties and questions](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/179124)

Synthesis: assay, water, and nonvolatile residue describe different attributes. Assay alone cannot establish the water content or residue of a specific lot. Both Solstice pages provide a separate lot-number COA lookup. No lot COA was examined here. A certificate of analysis supplies lot-specific evidence, while these catalog limits describe the named product. Neither a grade name nor this comparison qualifies a manufacturing application.

## Safety classification and compatibility evidence

Fisher's US A18-family SDS, revision 9 dated December 18, 2025, identifies flammable-liquid category 2, eye-irritation category 2, and single-exposure target-organ toxicity category 3 affecting the central nervous system. Section 3 reports acetone above 95% by weight. That disclosure is not a reagent assay specification. The SDS follows US OSHA HCS 2024 and does not establish another region's classification. [Fisher SDS, sections 1–3](https://www.fishersci.com/store/msds?countryCode=US&language=en&partNumber=A181&productDescription=ACETONE+CERTIFIED+ACS+1L&vendorId=VN00033897)

Section 10 lists incompatible classes including strong oxidizers, strong reducers, strong bases, peroxides, halogenated compounds, alkali metals, and amines. These are reactivity warnings, not a compatibility test matrix for polymers, seals, coatings, or finished parts. Sections 5 and 9 give conflicting flammability ranges. No combined range is inferred here. Section 16 limits the SDS to its designated material and disclaims a quality specification or process warranty. [Fisher SDS, sections 5, 9, 10, and 16](https://www.fishersci.com/store/msds?countryCode=US&language=en&partNumber=A181&productDescription=ACETONE+CERTIFIED+ACS+1L&vendorId=VN00033897)

## Coverage and source versions

The NIST correlation, the US English Sigma-Aldrich page, and the two Solstice catalog pages were reviewed on October 30, 2026 PDT. The catalog pages do not provide a numbered technical revision. The original 1974 paper's full experimental text was not reviewed. The cited correlation is NIST's fit.

Coverage excludes a current lot COA, acetone-water equilibrium data, concentration-dependent hazards, and material-specific compatibility tests. This reference supplies no cleaning procedure, process settings, exposure target, or customer approval. The broader [Surface-finishing processes](../../processes/finishing/index.md) provides process context, not acetone qualification.