It is a
transparent, colorless liquid that flows with ease. It boils at 133
Fahrenheit, is inflammable and burns with a luminous flame. It has a
peculiar but rather agreeable odor.
Acetone dissolves twenty-four times its own bulk of acetylene at ordinary
atmospheric pressure. If this pressure is increased to two atmospheres,
14.7 pounds above ordinary pressure, it will dissolve just twice as much of
the gas and for each atmosphere that the pressure is increased it will
dissolve as much more.
If acetylene be compressed above fifteen pounds per square inch at ordinary
temperature without first being dissolved in acetone a danger is present of
self-ignition. This danger, while practically nothing at fifteen pounds,
increases with the pressure until at forty atmospheres it is very
explosive. Mixed with acetone, the gas loses this dangerous property and is
safe for handling and transportation. As acetylene is dissolved in the
liquid the acetone increases its volume slightly so that when the gas has
been drawn out of a closed tank a space is left full of free acetylene.
This last difficulty is removed by first filling the cylinder or tank with
some porous material, such as asbestos, wood charcoal, infusorial earth,
etc. Asbestos is used in practice and by a system of packing and supporting
the absorbent material no space is left for the free gas, even when the
acetylene has been completely withdrawn.
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