History

Acetone was known as “spirit of Saturn” when it was first discovered during the middle
Ages by alchemists. In 1836, its chemical structure was determined by French chemist, Jean
Baptiste Dumas and German chemist, Justus von Liebig. Meanwhile in 1833, French chemist
named acetone by adding one suffix to the stem of the corresponding acetic acid. By 1852,
Alexander William Williamson, an English chemist concluded that acetone is a methyl acetate
and around the same time it was concurred by a French scientific expert, Charles Frederic
Gerhardt. Chaim Weizmann, amid World War 1, presented the procedure for industrial creation
of acetone known as Weizmann Process.

In past times it was produced using the refining of starches. A key part in unstable
production amid the First World War, acetone was so basic to the war exertion that the British
government paid students to discover horse chestnuts to distil into acetone. Acetone is normally
gotten from petroleum products in the advanced time, by the petrochemical industry.

In early days, acetone was delivered out of dry distillation of acetic acid derivations mixes,
similar to calcium acetate in ketonic decarboxylation.

Ca (CH3COO)2 → CaO (s) + CO2 (g)+ (CH3)2CO (v)

During World War 1, acetone was produced using fermentation of acetone butanol ethanol
with microscopic organisms Clostridium Acetobutylicium, which was introduced by Chaim
Weizmann. This technique was later surrendered when more up to date strategies came
vigorously with better yields.