A simple organic compound containing both a ketone group and an alcohol group, formed during the breakdown of fats and used in chemical synthesis.
From aceto- (acetic acid) + -ol (alcohol suffix). It's one of the simpler compounds in the aceto- family but chemically significant in metabolism and industrial processes.
Acetol is an intermediate chemical your liver produces when it breaks down certain fatty acids, and it's also used industrially to make plastics and resins—a great example of how body metabolism and industrial chemistry often follow the same basic chemical reactions.
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