acetol

Acetol is a non-systematic term found in some chemical literature and industry. It does not correspond to a single, universally accepted chemical identity in modern nomenclature. In historical sources, acetol has been used to refer to different substances depending on the author and period. One commonly cited sense is vinyl alcohol (ethenol), CH2=CHOH, a reactive enol that rapidly tautomerizes to acetaldehyde (ethanal). Because vinyl alcohol is unstable under ordinary conditions, the use of the name acetol for it has fallen out of favor and acetaldehyde is typically discussed instead.

In other contexts, acetol has appeared as a trade or brand name for solvents or other industrial products. Such uses are not standardized and can vary by manufacturer or region, which further supports treating acetol as context-dependent rather than a specific compound.

Modern chemical references generally discourage the use of acetol in favor of precise nomenclature. When encountered, the term should be clarified by consulting the primary source or the chemical’s systematic name to determine the intended substance.