Mesityl Oxide
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Related to Mesityl Oxide: dimedone
mesityl oxide
[′mez·ə‚til ′äk‚sīd] (organic chemistry)
(CH3)2C=CHCOCH3 A colorless, oily liquid with a honeylike odor; solidifies at -41.5°C; used as a solvent for resins, particularly vinyl resins, many gums, and nitrocellulose; also used in lacquers, paints, and varnishes.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Mesityl Oxide
an unsaturated aliphatic ketone, (CH3)2=CH—CO—CH3; a colorless liquid with a strong odor of mint. Boiling point, 128.3°C; density, 0.8548 g/cm3 at 20°C.
Mesityl oxide is miscible with organic solvents and reacts with water to form an azeotrope (65.2 percent mesityl oxide; boiling point, 91.8°C). It is prepared commercially by dehydration of diacetone alcohol, (CH3)2C(OH)CH2COCH3, under the action of, for example, traces of iodine or inorganic acids; it may also be obtained from acetone. It is used as a solvent for cellulose nitrate, ethyl cellulose, and polyvinyl chloride. It has a weak irritating and narcotic effect.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.