The key difference between xylene and acetone is that xylene is a cheap and less toxic solvent, whereas acetone is an expensive and more toxic solvent.
Both xylene and acetone are important as solvents in chemistry laboratories. However, they are two different compounds, and their properties are also highly different from each other.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Xylene
3. What is Acetone
4. Side by Side Comparison – Xylene vs Acetone in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Xylene?
Xylene is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2C6H4. We can call it as dimethylbenzene because it has a benzene with two attached methyl groups. Further, this compound occurs in one of three isomers whose positions of methyl groups on the benzene ring are different from each other. All these three isomers occur as colourless, flammable liquids; more precisely, a mixture of these isomers is called “xylenes”.
Figure 01: Isomers of Xylene
We can produce this compound by catalytic reforming during petroleum refining or by coal carbonization during the manufacture of coke fuel. However, in industries, xylene production is done via methylation of toluene and benzene.
Xylene is a nonpolar solvent. It is, however, expensive and comparatively toxic. The nonpolar nature is due to the low difference of electronegativity between C and H. Therefore, xylene tends to dissolve lipophilic substances well.
What is Acetone?
Acetone is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2CO. It occurs as a colourless and flammable liquid that is highly volatile. It is the simplest and smallest ketone. The molar mass is 58.08 g/mol. It has a pungent, irritating odour but we can define it as a floral, cucumber-like odour. It is miscible with water. Besides, this compound is common as a polar solvent. The polarity is due to the high electronegativity difference between carbon and oxygen atoms of the carbonyl group. However, it is not that much polar. Thus, it can dissolve both lipophilic and hydrophilic substances.
Figure 02: Chemical Structure of Acetone
Our body can produce acetone in normal metabolic processes and also disposes it from the body through different mechanisms. In an industrial scale, the production method includes direct or indirect production from propylene. The common process is the cumene process.
What is the Difference Between Xylene and Acetone?
Xylene is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2C6H4 while Acetone is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2CO. The key difference between xylene and acetone is that xylene is a cheap and less toxic solvent, whereas acetone is an expensive and more toxic solvent. Moreover, xylene is nonpolar, and acetone is less polar; therefore, xylene can dissolve lipophilic substances, but acetone can dissolve both lipophilic and hydrophilic substances.
Below infographic summarizes the difference between xylene and acetone.
Summary – Xylene vs Acetone
Xylene is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2C6H4 while Acetone is an organic compound having the chemical formula (CH3)2CO. The key difference between xylene and acetone is that xylene is a cheap and less toxic solvent, whereas acetone is an expensive and more toxic solvent.
Image Courtesy:
1. “IUPAC-cyclic” By Fvasconcellos 20:19, 8 January 2008 (UTC). Original image by DrBob (talk · contribs). – Vector version of Image:Iupac-cyclic.png by DrBob (talk · contribs) (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Acetone-2D-skeletal” By Fvasconcellos – Vector version of File:Acetone-2D-skeletal.png by Ben Mills (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia