Commercially, it is prepared by the oxidation of ethylbenzene with air in the presence of V2O5 or oxides of Mn, Zn, etc. at about 500°C.
\(\underset{Ethylbenzene}{C_6H_5CH_2CH_3}\,\, \xrightarrow[V_2O_5,500°C]{O_2}\,\, \underset{Acetophenone}{C_6H_5CO.CH_3}+H_2O\)
It is used in perfumery and in medicine as hypnotic (sleep producing drug) under the name of hypnone. Two molecules of acetophenone condense in presence of aluminium ter-butoxide to form dypnone.
On oxidation with perbenzoic acid, it forms phenyl acetate (Baeyer-Villiger oxidation).
