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aldehydes and ketones

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Total cards: 13•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

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#1
Front (Question)

whats a carbonyl group which organics have them

Back (Answer)

C=O aldehydes, ketones, c acids and co c acid derivatives acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides can be attacked by water, ammonia, amines or alcohols (nucleophilic addition elimination, the mechanism of acylation)

#2
Front (Question)

the oxidation of what causes the formation of aldehydes/ ketones

Back (Answer)

1y alcohols form aldehydes (partial ox) 2y alcohols form ketones (full ox) conditions: acidified potassium dichromate (ox agent; gets reduced), heat and distil / reflux

#3
Front (Question)

whats the ox of aldehydes conditions

Back (Answer)

alcohol + [O] —> aldehyde acidified (dilute s acid) potassium dichromate, heat and distill aldehyde + [O] —> c acid RCHO + [O] —> RCOOH acidified (dilute s acid) potassium dichromate, heat under reflux

#4
Front (Question)

what two tests distinguish between aldehydes and ketones

Back (Answer)

Fehlings Tollens they are both redox reactions, where because the aldehyde can undergo further oxidation to c acids, it can reduce the reagents in either

#5
Front (Question)

how does tollens work, what is the test

Back (Answer)

(silver mirror) a redox reaction between the aldehyde and Tollens’ reagent reagent: [Ag(NH3)2]+ The silver ions in Tollens’ reagent are reduced to metallic silver (0 ox state). aldehyde acts as reducing agent. reduction of silver ions to metallic silver, it is deposited on the inside the test tube CH3CHO + 2Ag+ + H2O —> CH3COOH + 2Ag + 2H+

#6
Front (Question)

how does fehlings work, what is the test

Back (Answer)

Fehling’s test detects aldehydes based on their ability to reduce copper(II) ions to copper(I) oxide in an alkaline medium. Aldehydes are readily oxidised to carboxylic acids, which reduces copper(II) to a reddish-brown precipitate of copper(I) oxide. fehlings a and b give blue solution, copper 2. copper 1 in copper oxide is red. copper 2 gets reduced as aldehyde gets oxidised CH3CHO + 2Cu2+ + 2H2O —> CH3COOH + Cu2O + 4H+

#7
Front (Question)

if alcohols can be oxidised to form them, then… how do write eq

Back (Answer)

aldehydes can be reduced to 1y alcohols and ketones can be reduced to 2y alcohols RIG, of e- and H, so in equations we just say [H] like in the ox reactions we say [O]

#8
Front (Question)

what are the conditions of aldehyde/ketone reduction to from alcohols what mechanism is this reaction

Back (Answer)

NaBH4 in aq solution - source of nucleophilic :H- ions RTP nucleophilic addition followed by acid for the protonation, or the solvent provides protons eg ethanol

#9
Front (Question)

what happens in nucleophilic addition mechanism of aldehydes and ketones

Back (Answer)

• nucleophile (eg H-, CN-) donate LP to delta +ve C • bond of C=O goes to O. now :O- • electrophile (eg H+ (so need to add dilute acid)) accepts LP on :O- • forming alcohol f group

#10
Front (Question)

what is the product of nucleophilic addition of aldehydes/ketones (carbonyl compounds) with KCN followed by dilute s acid at RTP

Back (Answer)

hydroxynitrile addition of CN adds a nitrile group and branches out (ketone)/ extends (aldehyde) the C chain then the addition of H+ from acid (the electrophile) onto the O makes it hydroxy (nitrile has priority so suffix)

#11
Front (Question)

whats an enantiomer

Back (Answer)

pair of molecules that exist in two forms that are mirror images of one another and cannot be superimposed one upon the other

#12
Front (Question)

when can optical isomerism arise with these carbonyls

Back (Answer)

the nucleophilic addition of KCN then dilute acid to: aldehydes, and unsymmetrical ketones unsymmetrical ketones? this is to say that the C chain on either side of the C=O isn’t the same length. but if you have a chiral C then yer

#13
Front (Question)

what causes optical isomerism arise with these carbonyls

Back (Answer)

the planar carbonyl (don’t say C=O) group on the aldehydes/ unsymmetrical ketones get attacked equally by KCN from either side of the C=O there is equal chance of both enantiomers forming. there is no optical activity because racemic mixture optical activity: ability of molecules (when just solution of one enantiomer) to rotate the plane of polarised light