1 50  Acetone  and  Acetone-Chloroform.      { ^iS; f8%.rm' 
But,  quite  apart  from  this,  the  chemical  reaction  by  which  acetone 
is  produced,  whether  from  acetates  or  from  acetic  acid,  was  well 
known  for  more  than  half  a  century  before  the  date  of  this  patent. 
What  is  really  covered  by  the  patent  is  certain  specified  and  de- 
At  3500  C.  38*3  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  run  in,  and 
38*1      u       "        "         "    came  through  with  no  signs  of  any 
decomposition — no  acetone. 
At  400°  C.  36"  1  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  run  in,  and 
29  9      "      "        "         "      "    received  undecomposed,  leaving 
6'2      "       "  "    decomposed,    and   this  decomposed 
acid  gave  97  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
At  450°  C.  35 'i  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  run  in,  and 
i8"5      "       "        "         "     "  received  undecomposed,  leaving 
16*6      "      "  "    decomposed,  which  apparently  gave 
112  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
At  5000  C.  41 '4  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  fed  in,  and 
io*8      "       "  "     "   received  undecomposed,  leaving 
30-6      "       "  "  decomposed,  which  apparently  gave 
104  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
At  5500  C.  40*4  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  fed  in,  and 
5-i      "       "  "      "   received  undecomposed,  leaving 
35  "3      "       "  "    decomposed,  which  apparently  gave 
82  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
Then  a  run  of  twenty-four  hours  was  made  at  the  last  temperature,  5500  C.,to 
give  opportunity  for  closer  determinations  of  results. 
321  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  fed  in,  and 
57-3    "       "  "     "  received  undecomposed,  leaving 
2637    "       "  "    decomposed,  which  apparently 
gave  97  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
The  still  was  then  opened,   charged  with  130  pounds  of  coarsely  ground 
pumice-stone,  and  a  parallel  series  of  experiments  made. 
At  3000  C.  41*8  pounds  of  absolute  acid  was  fed  in,  and 
39' 1      "       "        "         "     "  received  undecomposed,  leaving 
27     "       "  <(  decomposed,  which  apparently  gave 
33*5  per  cent,  of  the  acetone  required  by  theory. 
