SHEET /vs/acetone-vs-isopropyl-alcohol · COMPARISON
Acetone vs Isopropyl alcohol: what is the difference?
How they differ
These two are one oxidation step apart: remove two hydrogens from isopropyl alcohol and you have acetone, which is exactly what the liver does to it. That is why acetone shows up on the breath after isopropyl alcohol exposure, and also why the body produces acetone on its own when it burns fat for fuel. As solvents they behave differently: acetone is a ketone and dissolves plastics, resins and nail polish that isopropyl alcohol leaves alone, which is why acetone is the aggressive one. Both are highly flammable and both carry a GHS Danger signal word. Weights are close at 58.08 and 60.1, so the difference is entirely in the functional group.
Side by side
| Acetone | Isopropyl alcohol | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C3H6O | C3H8O |
| Molecular weight | 58.08 g/mol | 60.1 g/mol |
| Family | Ketones | Alcohols |
| Everyday group | Everyday chemistry | Everyday chemistry |
| Functional groups | Ketones | Alcohols |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Danger | Danger |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 5,800 mg/kg (oral, rat) | 4,797 mg/kg (oral, dog) |
| CAS number | 67-64-1 | 67-63-0 |
| PubChem CID | 180 | 3776 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Acetone and Isopropyl alcohol?
- These two are one oxidation step apart: remove two hydrogens from isopropyl alcohol and you have acetone, which is exactly what the liver does to it. That is why acetone shows up on the breath after isopropyl alcohol exposure, and also why the body produces acetone on its own when it burns fat for fuel. As solvents they behave differently: acetone is a ketone and dissolves plastics, resins and nail polish that isopropyl alcohol leaves alone, which is why acetone is the aggressive one.
- Is Acetone bigger than Isopropyl alcohol?
- Isopropyl alcohol is the heavier molecule, 60.1 g/mol against 58.08 g/mol for Acetone. Acetone is C3H6O and Isopropyl alcohol is C3H8O.
- Which has the lower reported LD50, Acetone or Isopropyl alcohol?
- Isopropyl alcohol, at 4,797 mg/kg (oral, dog), against 5,800 mg/kg (oral, rat) for Acetone. An LD50 is one acute animal measurement, and the two here were not necessarily measured in the same species, so it is a data point rather than a ranking of how dangerous either is to a person.
Read the full records: Acetone and Isopropyl alcohol.