On the dryness and density of acetone

Abstract

The paper gives the combined experience of a French and a British firm on the relation between the density and water content of good commercial acetone samples. It is confirmed that, in a relative way, density is a good guide to water content but there remains some doubt concerning the density of dry acetone. A figure has been found 0.0005 lower than was previously accepted but still 0.0005 higher than those given recently by American workers. The lower values quoted by American authors may be due to the presence of isopropyl ether. The direct chemical determination of water in acetone by the Smith & Bryant acetyl chloride–pyridine method appears to be reliable and this is recommended. The Karl Fischer method has not yet been made applicable to acetone–water mixtures.