[TheForge] Benz{ie}ne (Re: "traditional" finishes)

[Mike Spencer]

Um, Roy, would you like to give us a reference for this?

>   [Benzene is a] Closed-ring solvent, just like acetone.  

That just is NOT so.  Not even close.  Benzene IS a closed ring
molecule but acetone is NOT.  Go put on yr Nomex undies before
the other chemistry weenies on this list see that.

> Zips through skin as fast as it does through air.  Terrific for
> carrying whatever is on the outside of your skin (grease, oil, other
> chemicals) right into your bloodstream.

It may do that to some extent but I think that's a considerable
exageration.  The excitement over dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in about
1965 was because DMSO was discovered to really, actually *do* that in
significant degree.  DMSO has become very controversial in
pharmaceutical politics because of this property (among others).

Acetone and/or benzene may exhibit this property to some extent
(contrary to the "skin is the ultimate barrier" dogma of physiology
before ca. 1965) but I won't believe anything even close to "as fast
as it does through air" until I see it in the technical literature.
References? 

- Mike

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Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada 
                                 
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/