The molar mass of acetone (C3H6O) is 58.080 g/mol.
Case matters: CO is carbon monoxide, Co is
cobalt. Brackets and hydrates are fine — try
or
.
| Element | Atoms | Atomic mass | Mass contributed | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon (C) | 3 | 12.011 | 36.033 | 62.04% |
| Hydrogen (H) | 6 | 1.0080 | 6.048 | 10.41% |
| Oxygen (O) | 1 | 15.999 | 15.999 | 27.55% |
| Total | 10 | 58.080 | 100.00% |
36.033 + 6.048 + 15.999 = 58.080 g/mol
Grams and moles
25 g of acetone is 0.4304 mol, because 25 ÷ 58.080 = 0.4304.
These elements have no single atomic weight. Their isotopic mix varies slightly depending on where on Earth the sample came from, so the figure used here is the conventional value IUPAC publishes for when one number is needed: carbon is 12.011, and really lies between 12.0096 and 12.0116; hydrogen is 1.0080, and really lies between 1.00784 and 1.00811; oxygen is 15.999, and really lies between 15.99903 and 15.99977.
Acetone is 58.080 g/mol. Carbon holds 62.04% of that, hydrogen 10.41% and the single oxygen 27.55%.
It is the simplest ketone and the most widely used laboratory solvent, because it mixes with water in all proportions and with most organic liquids as well. That combination is unusual: the carbonyl oxygen accepts hydrogen bonds from water while the two methyl groups handle non-polar solutes.
Its boiling point of 56 degrees Celsius makes it evaporate fast enough to dry glassware in minutes, and a rinse bottle of it sits beside most sinks in a teaching lab for that reason.
Acetone is also produced by the human body. During prolonged fasting or in uncontrolled diabetes, fat metabolism generates ketone bodies, one of which decomposes into acetone that leaves through the lungs. The sweet smell on the breath is a recognised clinical sign, and a breath acetone measurement can be converted to a blood concentration through this molar mass.