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Acetone is an essential chemical industry input and is used in the manufacturing of a wide array of products, such as adhesives, antibiotics, electronic components, solvents and removers, inks and vitamins, among others. Its production is complex and hazardous. To simplify the process and make it safer and cheaper, researchers in Brazil and Germany have developed an innovative method that uses only light and photoactive iron chloride (FeCl3), an inexpensive chemical compound.
The standard acetone manufacturing process, known as the Hock or cumene process, comprises several stages. Propane, a petroleum product, is converted to propylene, a highly flammable gas, which is reacted with benzene and then with oxygen at high temperatures and pressures to give rise to acetone. These reactions also produce phenol, a compound for which there is less demand but which can be converted to value-added substances, although this is costly.