Acetone boiling point analysis and influencing factors
Acetone, also known as dimethyl ketone, is an important organic solvent with a wide range of applications in the chemical industry. Understanding the boiling point of acetone is important for the design and operation of chemical processes. In this paper, we will analyse the boiling point of acetone in detail and discuss its basic properties and influencing factors.
Basic Properties of Acetone
Acetone, with the chemical formula C₃H₆O and molecular weight of 58.08 g/mol, is a colourless, volatile liquid with a sweet taste and irritating odour. Due to its excellent solvency, acetone is widely used in detergents, solvents, coatings, pharmaceuticals and plastics industries. In these applications, knowledge of the physical properties of acetone, such as boiling point, is essential to control process parameters.
What is the boiling point of acetone?
The boiling point of acetone is usually recorded as 56°C (approximately 329 K) at standard atmospheric pressure (101.3 kPa). This temperature is the temperature at which acetone changes from a liquid to a gaseous state. The relatively low boiling point of acetone compared to other organic solvents means that it is more volatile at room temperature. This property allows acetone to evaporate quickly in many industrial applications, facilitating quick drying and cleaning processes.
Factors affecting the boiling point of acetone
The boiling point of acetone is not static and is affected by a number of factors. The most important factors include external pressure, impurity content and the proportion of the solvent mixture.

Effect of external pressure: At lower pressures, the boiling point of acetone decreases. During vacuum distillation, lowering the pressure allows acetone to boil at a lower temperature, thus reducing heat loss and energy consumption. Therefore, controlling pressure is an effective means of regulating the boiling point of acetone during industrial distillation.

The effect of impurities: the presence of impurities in acetone also affects its boiling point. The higher the purity, the closer the boiling point is to the standard value; while mixtures containing other volatile components may result in a shift in the boiling point. For the production of fine chemicals, it is vital to control the purity of acetone to ensure its stability at specified temperatures.

Effect of solvent mixtures: When acetone is mixed with other solvents, its boiling point may change. This phenomenon is known as azeotropy. In practice, the azeotropic point of acetone with other solvents requires special attention as it can affect the efficiency of the separation process.

Importance of Acetone Boiling Point
Understanding and controlling the boiling point of acetone is of practical importance to industrial production. In many chemical processes, such as solvent recovery, distillation separation and reaction control, an accurate knowledge of the boiling point of acetone can help to optimise process parameters, improve production efficiency and ensure product quality.
The boiling point of acetone is a key physical parameter in the chemical industry. Whether in solvent use, chemical reactions or distillation separations, understanding the boiling point of acetone and the various factors affecting it is an important basis for ensuring a smooth production process.