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Reactions Of Carbonyl Compounds

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Total cards: 14•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (14)

#1
Front (Question)

What reduces carbonyl compounds and to what

Back (Answer)

Powerful reducing agent LiAlH4 to alcohols

#2
Front (Question)

What is sample dissolved in in reduction reaction and why

Back (Answer)

Dry ether to prevent water and moisture from entering because the LiAlH4 is easily hydrolysed and reacts violently with water

#3
Front (Question)

Two steps of reduction reaction

Back (Answer)

It is reduced by LiAlH4 which supplies hydride ions(nucleophile) to form a salt containing a complex aluminium ion and then addition of dilute acid to destroy excess hydride ions and release the alcohol from the complex ion

#4
Front (Question)

Why can’t LiAlH4 be used to reduce alkenes

Back (Answer)

Need to use H2 as there is repulsion of hydride ions by area of high electron density of the double bond

#5
Front (Question)

What is hydrogen cyanide and how is it formed

Back (Answer)

H-C triple bonded to N. Highly toxic gas formed by adding potassium cyanide to dilute sulfuric acid in the reaction mixture

#6
Front (Question)

Why must the potassium cyanide be in excess in nucleophile addition of hydrogen cyanide

Back (Answer)

To ensure there are free cyanide ions ready to start the reaction

#7
Front (Question)

Product of nucleophilic addition with cyanide ions and how to name

Back (Answer)

Produces hydroxynitrile, start counting carbon chain with carbon in nitrile group as highest priority and if alcohol that comes first in name eg 2-hydroxypropanenitrile

#8
Front (Question)

Why is the reaction with cyanide ions useful

Back (Answer)

Adds a carbon atom to the chain, useful step in synthetic routes to valuable compounds

#9
Front (Question)

Explain process of nucleophilic addition with hydrogen cyanide

Back (Answer)

-cyanide ion(nucleophile) uses its lone pair to form a bond with delta positive carbon of carbonyl group (as EN oxygen draws electrons away from it) which causes one of the double bonds to break heterolytically meaning oxygen has gained one electron from carbon and now has negative charge and extra lone pair -negatively charged oxygen then acts as a base and gains a proton from a hydrogen cyanide molecule/water molecule

#10
Front (Question)

When does nucleophilic addition with hydrogen cyanide product a chiral compound

Back (Answer)

With aldehyde and asymmetrical ketone

#11
Front (Question)

Why does nucleophilic addition with hydrogen cyanide produce racemic mixture if product is chiral

Back (Answer)

As the atoms around the carbon atom of carbonyl group trigonal planar, so attacking nucleophile has equal chance of attacking from above or below so produces equal proportions of enantiomers so mixture optically inactive as rotation by each enantiomer cancels out

#12
Front (Question)

What is also produced by nucleophilic addition with cyanide ions apart from hydroxynitrile

Back (Answer)

Cyanide ions, so are regenerated

#13
Front (Question)

Reagents of nucleophilic addition with cyanide ions

Back (Answer)

Excess potassium cyanide and dilute sulfuric acid

#14
Front (Question)

Where is lone pair on cyanide ions

Back (Answer)

On carbon atom