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Topic: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?  (Read 4408 times)

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Offline Jman

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Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« on: May 10, 2016, 04:00:24 AM »
Does a bottle of 100% Isopropyl alcohol turn to acetone at normal house conditions? If so how long roughly?

Isopropyl alcohol on it's own is great for cleaning, but acetone will attack some stuff I have.

Offline Intanjir

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Re: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2016, 07:53:22 PM »
Nope, you'd need a catalyst.

Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2016, 09:54:15 PM »
There would also need to be an oxidant.

Offline Jman

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Re: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2016, 02:52:22 AM »
Thanks Intanjir & Babcock Hall, thought Id ask to be safe.

Offline discodermolide

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Re: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2016, 06:07:45 AM »
Isopropanol is known to form explosive peroxides, especially older samples.
Store it in a dark cupboard and if you can flush the gas space with nitrogen and tightly close the bottle.
If the material you have is old or you have only small quantities do not concentrate it by evaporation dilute with water and dispose.

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Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: Isopropyl alcohol turning to acetone?
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2016, 09:41:23 AM »
I totally forgot about peroxides, but I seem to recall that refluxing isopropanol with SnCl2 will remove them (though it may be less trouble to buy more).  IIRC sec-butyl alcohol has the same tendency to form peroxides.

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