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Message:: [QUOTE="-jeffB, post: 6298249, member: 27832"]There's ongoing argument over whether acetone can discolor copper, which is fairly non-reactive. The general consensus seems to be that if you get water in the acetone (maybe just from a humid environment), and there's light involved, the acetone can break down to form acetic acid, which will attack metals. I suspect there's other contamination involved in most cases. Zinc is a very reactive metal. If impure acetone can do anything to copper, it can certainly do things to zinc. Bronze is copper alloyed with other (even more reactive) metals, and iron is pretty reactive itself. My inclination would be to do a quick acetone rinse on iron coins, to dry them thoroughly and prevent rust. For soaking any of these three metals, it might be better to use xylene; it'll dissolve oils and resins, probably better than acetone, and it can't contain the acids that can damage metals.[/QUOTE]